Scars and Solaces
by Jonescalypso
Summary: Better summary inside. Multiple shippings. Rated M. Yaoi. Lemons.
1. Chapter 1

_**Synopsis: Ryou Bakura is plagued by unbearable loneliness, as well as a possessive spirit. Things seem to look up though with the arrival of a new student who pays uncommon attention to him. However, the spirit is a jealous one, and doesn't take kindly to the two spending so much time together. But who exactly is he jealous over? Will his actions cost Ryou the only friendship he has?**_

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><p><strong><span>AN<span>: This story contains Tendershipping, Angstshipping, and ultimately Thiefshipping (though at one point it may be construed as Citronshipping, you'll see why). There will also be occasional fluff later on as the story goes. Some of the physical relations are going to be a bit unwanted by the characters (though never completely) - I don't like rape nor do I support it, however, the more twisted side of me is intrigued by the mind-scramble it causes when one character is subtly given the chance to get out of it but can't decide exactly what they want. Whether the characters try hard enough or not is up to them. None of the "unwanted" scenes get very violent, and I don't think I'll ever write anything more violent than my story "Defenseless". So please don't be put off just because it was mentioned, I intend to make this story as enjoyable as possible.**

**This is my first time ever writing a story with lemons, and though some may be brief, they will gradually deepen further on.**

**Genre elements include: Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance.**

**Story is slightly AU but I try to keep it as close and in character as I can, given the circumstances.**

**This is rated M. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Characters, places, names, etc. This is made only for entertainment.**

**I appreciate constructive criticism, but please, no flaming. I try hard to write enjoyable stories that don't offend anybody.**

**So, without further babble, enjoy. Thanks so much to MissYennon for beta-ing this chapter for me! :D **

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><p>"Scars and Solaces"<p>

CH1

幸運

Ryou Bakura shifted the chalk in his hand and added the final lines to the kanji on the pavement. Satisfied with the design, he drew an arrow alongside it, pointing upward toward his front door. He then drew another underneath the symbols pointing to the left, in the direction he was about to head. He looked it over and made a little wish, then took a deep breath and read the writing out loud: "Good luck," before rising to his feet. He slipped the chalk back into it's usual hiding place - a small hole in the stone base of his mailbox - brushed off his hands and placed them in his pockets as he started off toward his school.

One might think he was anticipating something important that morning. But in fact, it was quite the opposite. He had begun this little addition to his morning ritual earlier that week in the hopes that it would keep his home safe from misfortune, as well as grant him a much-needed pleasantry somewhere in his day. This was the sixth day he'd done it, and so far, all was as mundane as it had ever been. Still, it gave him something to hope for.

A small brick wall lined the sidewalk on this particular block, covering half the walkway in shadow. Ryou's eyes stared along the line as he went; and noticed a moving shadow further ahead on the wall. He looked up and smiled.

"Miss Kitty," he said, happily. The slender black cat meowed in greeting as Ryou reached up to pet her. "Good morning."

She eagerly leaned her neck against his fingers as he scratched lightly at her fur.

"Sun's out today, I'll bet that's why you're up so early, isn't it?" He gave the cat a few more stokes before reluctantly withdrawing his hand and walking again; the cat followed him along the wall.

"I've got school, so I can't stay and play yet. Later though." He watched as she eagerly trotted over the bricks, tail high, meowing now and again. As he turned a corner, she hopped down from the wall and meowed up at him.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Ryou said. The cat rushed forward and rubbed herself against his pant leg, one swift brush after another. The white-haired teen couldn't keep from smiling. He leaned down and stroked her again. Almost immediately, the cat laid down and rolled onto her back, looking playfully up at him. He scratched under her chin with one hand and used the other to pet her soft belly.

"I know, it's a nice day and there's no one to share it with," he said quietly. "I'd love to stay and enjoy it with you, but I have to go to school. I can play later." He stood once more and made himself continue on. The cat continued to follow him until the end of the block, where she hopped back on top of the wall and watched after him.

"Be safe today," Ryou said over his shoulder.

…

Students gathered into their usual groups of friends as they greeted one another outside the school. Ryou tried to ignore the ache in his heart as he heard all the laughter and chit-chat. He took his time walking to his class, smiling at anyone who held eye contact with him in passing - which were few - and received a brief smirk from even fewer. A swift movement caught his eye as Joey Wheeler tackled Tristen Taylor and they tried to wrestle around the hall. This was common for them in the morning. Ryou sighed and entered the classroom, thinking how odd it was to feel close to people and completely outcast at the same time. He sat in his seat for a moment, then opened his notebook and started writing. A few sentences into it, he noticed the room getting slightly louder as more students came in. Someone in the back was talking to their friend and caught Joey's attention.

"Wha'?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah, I guess there's a handful of new students in this week," The student answered.

"Yeah? When they comin'?"

"Um…I dunno."

"Who's getting' em?"

"I…dunno."

Tristen looked back to Joey and made a face, "_Wow_, informed," He responded sarcastically.

"Come on, man. You can't just bring up news like that with no facts," Joey chided.

"Well it's a fact that we _will_ have new students. I just don't know any specifics." The student said defensively.

"Hmm," Joey pondered and sank into his seat. "Hope they're not a bunch of losers."

Tristen leaned forward and said in his ear, "Maybe they'll be hot chicks."

"Heh heh, well if _that's _the case_, _I'll be sure to make 'em feel welcome. _Very _welcome."

"Yeah, if your face doesn't scare them away first."

"Watch it," Joey warned.

Ryou faced forward again, thoughtfully. New students? He glanced up as Tea Gardner entered the classroom followed by Yugi Motto, happily chatting away together. Yugi's gaze met Ryou's as he slid his pack off and he gave a small wave, "Hey, Bakura."

"Morning, Yugi," Ryou said, brightly. He straightened up, expecting something further, but Yugi took his seat and resumed talking with Tea.

Ryou slumped slightly in disappointment and returned to his writing.

…

Class went on as usual. The rumor was confirmed when Joey spoke up and asked the teacher about new students. The teacher knew little more other than that one had already arrived in another class and at least three more were expected later in the week. Joey asked if their class would be getting any, but the teacher admitted he hadn't heard anything.

Ryou spent lunch time outside on the grass. He figured he may as well enjoy the sun before the colder, wet season started. He ate his lunch quietly and worked on his homework from his earlier classes. After he'd finished, he opened his notebook and continued writing.

As usual, he did most of the volunteering to clean up after school, not too excited to return home. When everything was taken care off, he debated staying outside on the lawn again to finish the rest of his homework, but decided against it. He didn't have much left, and anyway, the school would be vacant before long. It would just feel lonely. He looked around for Yugi's group to wish them a pleasant evening, but they must have left already - so he just moved his hands to his pockets and took his time walking back to his house.

When he reached the rock wall, he looked for the black cat. He didn't know where she went in a day, she had no collar. He clicked his tongue, hoping she might be near by, but she never came. He sighed. Anyone from the school who lived this way must drive or get rides, or else hang out somewhere after school, because he never saw anyone.

Around another corner and his house came into view: a large, two-story house his father had had built in an old-English style especially for his family. It was a nice design but it looked out of place in these parts.

He stopped at the mailbox and gathered the new contents, glancing down at the sidewalk as he past.

Good Luck.

Well, he thought, at least it wasn't really a _bad_ day. He continued up the walk, sifting through the mail; bill, bill, sales ad, newspaper, postcard. He checked the stamp - it was from Egypt.

He got his keys and entered the house, locking the door behind him. He took a deep breath and looked around, setting the mail on a desk. The house was so empty. And far too quiet. He set his bag down and moved to the stereo, tuning it to a smooth jazz station. Jazz wasn't necessarily his favorite but it was mellow and potentially pleasant; great for background if nothing else. He set it to a medium volume and headed to the kitchen, turning on lights as he went. After preparing the tea kettle, he went upstairs to change out of his school uniform. The big house got chilly easily so he picked out a sweater and headed to the bathroom to wash his face. When he'd gone downstairs and fixed himself a cup of hot tea, he sat down and read the postcard from his Father.

_Ryou, _

_I'm afraid I haven't had much time for leisure writing lately so a postcard was all I could manage this time. I'll make it up to you and share some notes from my field book in my next letter if you like. I'm very proud of your scores, son. And you're doing a marvelous job taking care of the house. I hope your friends are keeping you company. I'll be home as soon as I can. _

_Love, Father. _

Ryou read and re-read the message, turning over the postcard to look at the picture: wall art from the tombs. Ryou took a large drink from his mug and thought for a moment, before taking out a sheet of paper. He carefully and thoughtfully began;

_Father, _

_I understand business brings you from one place to the next in a short time. It can be very taxing. Still, it's a great pleasure to hear from you, even in small amounts. Things are well here. The house is quiet but well-kept. I write to Mum and Sissy every day. School goes on as usual; people coming and going, laughing, playing, gossiping - all that's to be expected from a collection of teenagers. I know that work often demands your presence but I _do_ hope you'll be able to come home before too much longer. It's not the same without you here at all -_

Ryou bit his lip and tried to swallow the lump that had built up in his throat. He fingered the magnificent necklace hanging against his chest - the one his father had sent to him from Egypt. He wanted so desperately to tell his father the truth, how much he really missed him. But…

_- But I know you do your best. I'm proud of the work you do. I hope I can be like you one day. Please don't worry about me, I'm fine. I wish you the best and think of you often. _

_All my love, Father,_

_Ryou _

"Well isn't _that _sweet." The Voice came out of nowhere. Ryou about jumped out of his skin.

"Cor, I wish you wouldn't _do _that." Ryou let out a harsh breath, placing his hand over his heart.

"Do what, give you a compliment?" The Voice said. "Fine then, you'll get no more from me."

"No, I meant, scare me like that."

"You're _scared_, young host?" Ryou could almost _see_ the wicked smirk on that pale face.

"You startled me, is all," He replied pointedly, eager to rid himself of that image; the image of _himself_ with that awful grin. "You've been quiet all day."

"I can be considerate when the mood takes me."

"Well, that's comforting," Ryou said quietly.

"Though you shouldn't expect such courtesy to go _unrewarded,_ little one!" It said with a slight hiss.

Ryou froze, half-risen from his seat. He had spoken too soon.

"Indeed," The Voice replied, reading the boy's thoughts. "Sleep!"

A glow sprang from the golden ring that hung from a rope around the teen's neck. Instantly, Ryou's eye's rolled up in his head and, with a soft groan, he fell back into the chair; comatose.

...

When he opened his eyes he was lying on the couch. Or, what was _meant_ to be the couch. He knew it wasn't the real thing, since the reflected image of himself was now perched over him. This was a manifestation. An illusion of the place he'd just left, created in his mind. He knew that somewhere in the house, his body was lying lifeless. This was part of the soul room; a suspended space inside the Ring he wore, that held his consciousness whenever it was banished inside the Millennium Item. Here, his mind gave shape to the hard voice that spoke to him in his mind. A shape identical to his own, as it had claimed more than once to be the spirit of himself in a former life. The only real difference between them was the cruel confidence and, often, bitterness that soured the Spirit's features. They were otherwise identical.

Ryou swallowed hard as the figure that reflected himself quickly climbed on top of him, straddling his waist, and moved to lift the hem of the young one's shirt.

"_Wait!_" Ryou said uncomfortably.

"What?" The Spirit asked in a gruffer voice.

"M-must we do this again?"

The other scoffed and glared at him, "How selfish you are. I refrain from disturbing you all day and you act like it's such a burden to give me something I want in return."

Ryou knew it was pointless to resist, as the Spirit would never be denied what he wanted. He claimed to have been a thief in his former life. And a superior one, at that. When his desires were set, he would not tolerate being deprived.

Ryou tensed as the spirit leaned down and ran his tongue along his stomach. A shudder ran through him as the long, nimble fingers that should've been his alone, now worked to unbutton his jeans.

"You act as though this is new." The Spirit said, pulling down the zipper. "Surely you're use to this by now."

The teen squirmed, trying to wriggle out from under the weight, but his counterpart quickly pulled a knife from his pocket and pointed it in the boy's face.

"You know the drill," he ordered, tugging at the hem of Ryou's shirt and sweater.

"Please don't," Ryou begged in a weak voice.

"Take it off or I cut it off!"

Ryou's hands shook slightly as he grabbed the hem and pulled the fabric over his head. The Spirit sighed in anticipation, his eyes moving over the flat stomach and barely visible traces of abdominal muscles shifting beneath the pale skin. He rocked his hips slightly, pressing his evident need into the teen's own personal place. Ryou bit back a gasp and the Spirit shut his eyes and let his head fall back for a moment. Giving their groins another hard press together, the dominant one leaned down and moved his lips against the other's neck; sucking and biting at the hollow near his throat.

"Spirit, _please_," Ryou whispered through clenched teeth.

The Spirit raised his head and stared hard into the younger one's eyes. "Call me by my name."

"It…it's not your name," Ryou dared to say. "It's mine!"

"You're my reincarnate. Therefore you are _me_." He lowered his head to nip at the other's jaw.

"I'm _not_ you," Ryou turned his head away, grimacing at the comparison.

"You are what I would have become," The Spirit said. "And I am what you once were. Therefore we are the same."

"We're _not_ the same," Ryou insisted.

The Spirit grinned and took a fistful of the younger one's hair in his hand, yanking the teen's head back. He lowered his head as Ryou's back arched and flicked his tongue out briefly across a pale nipple, before taking it between his teeth.

A pained grunt escaped the boy's throat but the Spirit repeated his actions, using his free hand to dig his fingers into the hollow of the other's hip.

"You're too rough," Ryou said in a strangled tone.

"Oh, spare me."

"I'm serious," Ryou tried to push his offender away but it only made him lean closer.

"You _like _it that way." He said with a grin, letting his grip on the other's hair slack enough for their eyes to meet, "You don't fool me. You walk around playing the innocent little victim but you know the best pleasure is the way _I_ give it."

He raised himself up and attacked the soft neck again, releasing Ryou's hair altogether. The young one shifted again, repulsed by the feeling against his skin, despite the tingling he felt in his abdomen. Aggravation welled up inside of him as well as fear.

"If what you say is true, then it just proves how conceited you are, doesn't it? That you get off on taking me like this - your own future form. Are you really that in love with yourself?"

The Spirit's teeth clamped down at the space where neck met shoulder and Ryou groaned loudly. His head fell back and his duplicate form grazed its teeth along his flesh, breathing heavily against his skin before biting down over his collar bone.

Ryou clenched his teeth and fisted his hands in his counterpart's wild hair. The Spirit sucked hard at the agitated flesh against his lips and raised his arms to seize Ryou by the wrists. He pulled the young one's hands off him and pinned them over his head, before coming up for air. He licked his lips as he took in the sight of the one squirming under him.

"Maybe…maybe _you_ get off on having a split persona," The Spirit panted. "The darkness of it, and the mystery. You like coming across as sweet little Bakura who would never hurt anyone," He let his hands stroke the underside of Ryou's arms, "But would _kill_ -" then raked his nails down the white torso, "- at the slightest provocation."

Ryou cried out, thick red lines forming down his body, "I would _never_ kill anyone."

"Oh, you don't even _know_ the things _you're_ capable of," The Spirit purred.

"I wouldn't!" The teen insisted. "I'm not you."

"Do I have to explain it again?" The Spirit's eyes blazed. "You and I are the same soul -" He reached down and cupped the young one's growing bulge. His intense stare softened as Ryou opened his mouth in a mute cry; palming him through his jeans as their breathing simultaneously became less controlled. "…Torn apart across time," He finished in a hungry whisper.

Ryou squeezed his eyes shut, hating how his body was betraying him, "S-somehow that makes this seem ah!- all the more t-twisted."

"On the contrary," The other breathed against his cheek, "It makes all the more _sense_. Two halves of the same whole, it's only natural we should be made into_ one_." He sat up and, seizing the fabric at each side of the boy's hips, yanked the jeans down completely.

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><p><strong>Sorry to end it here but that's how it goes. The next lemon will be complete, promise. Please let me know what you think. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this chapter is a little shorter. I promise I've been working my brain like mad all this time to get this story going. **

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><p>Ch2<p>

...

After a brief blackout, Ryou opened his eyes to find the Spirit passed out on top of him. He grimaced and shut his eyes, willing himself back to full consciousness. Gradually, the weight on his body receded and he felt the desk chair against his back. Opening his eyes once more, he looked around; he was alone in his house, sitting at the desk. The _real_ desk, not a manifestation. Ryou brought his hand up to his collar, his neck was killing him. He ran his other hand through his hair and discovered he was sweating rather profusely. Disgusted, he got up and headed for the bathroom.

Though the steam and hot water was soothing, it did not wash away the dirty feeling he had. It never did. No matter how many suds he made, or how expensive the soap - because the filth was on the inside.

Ryou considered the cases he'd read, about people who'd been taken forcefully. Quite often, they all seemed so broken afterward, as though they didn't know how to continue living at all. Although Ryou himself felt very downhearted and abused, he hadn't questioned his will to live. Not over that one fact alone, at least. Combining all the _other _feelings he had … He shook the thought away, he didn't want to be depressed. Adding shampoo to his hands and kneading it into his hair, he began to contemplate why he felt different than those he'd read about.

The worst thing he felt was that his own body had been used against him; in more ways than one. To a degree, it almost didn't feel as though he'd been used by another person. He paused in washing his hair, his frown deepening. Was that just the Spirit's words getting to him? About the two of them being the same person?

Ryou turned to rinse his hair; could his situation really be compared with others'? It wasn't like it was some stranger having his way and then leaving all the time. And it wasn't some blood relative sneaking around and ordering it to be kept secret from everyone else. No, he thought, this was much more bizarre. He stared blankly at the shower floor as the hot water ran over his body. Was he doing this to _himself_? Was he _causing_ this to happen because he was so desperate for affection, for _someone_ to pay attention to him? He was a teenager after all, Ryou reasoned to himself. Maybe it was some confused way his mind was trying to deal with it's changes under all the circumstances.

He shuddered at the thought and turned off the water, grabbing at a towel and vigorously drying himself off. It didn't matter, it was what it was. Someone seemed to want him, if only physically; and hungrily at that. Sure, there was a severe lack of choice for the Spirit, but if he didn't want Ryou, he could just kill him and wait for someone else to pick up the Millennium Ring and possess _them._ Ryou had often wondered if that would ever happen; though lately it appeared that the Spirit enjoyed their unique connection too much to do it.

Ryou put on a pair of pajama bottoms before sitting on his bed. His thoughts wandered aimlessly - the house, his sister…mother…father. Poor Father, he thought. He had discovered the Millennium Ring at a trader's stand in Egypt and thought of how excited Ryou would be to receive such an astounding antique. He couldn't have known the gift he sent home to his son was possessed by an aggressive spirit who took advantage of him whenever he wanted. Ryou took his pillow and hugged it to himself. He would never tell though. He _couldn't. _And anyway, life wasn't _so _bad right? He was doing well in school, his teachers liked him, he got to hear funny conversations between his classmates sometimes, and once in a while - they would even talk to _him _too.

Ryou buried his face in the pillow, squeezing it tighter and letting himself sink sideways onto the bed. With a sigh, he curled himself into a tight ball and pulled the blankets over his head. All he wanted was to go to sleep. Sleep, he thought, and not have to wake up to this life again.

…

But he did wake, as he always did. The clock by his bed said 5:14am. Ryou closed his eyes for a few moments and willed himself to doze a little longer, but it did no good. His mind was gradually waking up, getting farther from sleep by the minute; he decided to just get up. Raising himself from the bed, he flinched at the sharp pain in his lower back. He groaned and reached his hand back to gently massage it - the Spirit really was too rough.

He made his way toward the bathroom, squinting as he turned on the light, and splashed water over his face. Afterward he straightened up, ran his hands through his hair, and looked at his reflection in the mirror. There were no marks on his neck or chest, although it definitely _felt _like there were. Ryou noticed the face looking back at him seemed fatigued and quite melancholy; that wouldn't do. He rubbed at his eyes and put a smile on, doing his best to make it genuine - that looked better. Even if he didn't feel joy on the inside, if emotions were as influential as people said they were, he certainly didn't want to be the cause for someone else's bad day.

…

Outside the kitchen's sliding glass door, the sky was just beginning to light up. Ryou busied himself preparing a cup of coffee, adding cinnamon and a tiny bit of vanilla extract. He'd seen his mother do it when he was little, and after trying it himself once he was older, he never had it any other way.

He took his mug and sat down on the floor by the door, wincing slightly and wrapping his dressing gown tightly around his chest. As he sipped at his coffee, he thought about how fortunate he was. Even with the neighboring houses, he still had a great view of where the sun would rise. And to think, most people weren't even awake yet.

'Then again,' he thought to himself, 'One never knows how other people's nights may go. Maybe someone else _is _awake, and enjoying the sight too.' As the thin clouds were gradually touched with brightening colors, Ryou made up his mind to be in good spirits. It was a new day, after all.

He went through his morning routine, wrote checks for the bills, and added his letter to the stack of outgoing mail. He then stood over the faded chalk on the sidewalk.

"Seventh time's the lucky time," he muttered, and retrieved the chalk to highlight the kanji symbol. He made his wish, said "Good Luck", and put the chalk back before continuing to school.

…

The teacher quickly took attendance, then addressed his students.

"Well class, I'm sure some of you already know, but we've been given an addition to our class."

"We got a new student?" Joey exclaimed, excitedly.

"_Two_ students, Mr. Wheeler. They're joining us starting today."

Ryou looked up from his notebook in surprise. He'd forgotten all about the new students.

"Variety," Tristan whispered in Joey's ear, making them both snort in attempt to stifle their snickering.

"Variety, indeed, Mr. Taylor," The teacher agreed, missing their joke. He extended his hand to the open door, signaling for the two outside to enter.

Minor gasps and hushed whispers floated through the room, Ryou's eyes widened, and Tristan and Joey's jaws dropped.

"They're both dudes!" Joey pointed out.

"Are they?" Tristan asked curiously, tilting his head.

"Shut up!" Téa hissed over her shoulder, staring intently at the newcomers.

The first student was slightly taller of the two, and stood with an evident sense of pride. His punked-out raven hair was tied back, showing off a red and black headband. He tossed his bangs aside, swaying the single die that hung from his ear. He smirked and opened his eyes - they were the most radiant shade of green Ryou had ever seen. He also sported a bizarre black marking beneath his left eye.

The second student stopped next to the first, appearing confident, but somewhat less obtrusive. He looked slightly more built in his school uniform, and his tan skin was complimented by a head of pale blonde hair. His own eyes gleamed a brilliant lavender, each accented by their own unique markings. Golden earrings hung from either ear, shining spectacularly in the artificial light of the classroom.

"Variety," The teacher continued, "In that one is from a neighboring city, while the other comes from across the globe. Please introduce yourselves, Gentlemen."

"The name's Duke Devlin," said the first. "My family owns a gaming company that distributes in various cities. I personally own the newest game shop in Domino City."

Several excited voices rose up, mostly from the girls.

"Look out, Kaiba," Tristan muttered with a grin.

"Yeah right," Joey said, absentmindedly.

The teacher raised his hand for quiet before gesturing to the other student. "And this is -"

"I'm Namu," The blonde spoke up. "I was transferred here with the hosts of the Ancient Egyptian exhibit at the museum. It's nice to meet you all."

Téa beamed.

"You're from Egypt?" Yugi leaned forward, anxiously.

Ryou raised an eyebrow.

"There will be plenty of time for everyone to get better acquainted later," The teacher said. "Though, I'll admit, when I first saw you two, I thought you were associated with one another already - there's a similarity to your styles."

The two exchanged a look, taking in each others' appearances. Duke tilted his head, while Namu merely laughed politely.

"Maybe not _quite_ the same, but it's always interesting to see new styles. Pleased to meet you." He extended his hand.

Duke took it and gave a smug smile, "Don't mention it. 'Exotic' is right up my alley."

Téa let out a tiny whimper and dug her nails into her desk. Yugi looked at her questioningly, while Tristan started snickering again.

Ryou swallowed hard. These two were joining the class? They were so… so…

Pretty.

He went tense in his chair as the word flashed in his mind. Was that _really _what he thought? He let his eyes wander over their faces again, first one then the other. There was definitely something attractive about them.

As he let his gaze linger on the one called Namu, the blonde's attention swept in his direction, finally landing on him. Ryou's eyes widened suddenly. For the briefest of seconds, it looked as though the blonde's eyes had swept up and down his body. Ryou quickly lowered his gaze, suddenly feeling hot in the face. Had he imagined that?

"Please choose an available seat, and we'll get on with today's lesson," The teacher instructed the newcomers. He'd barely finished before Téa piped up, "_Here's_ one!" grabbing at the desk behind her.

Duke shrugged, "Well, if you insist." He made his way over to the seat while Téa bit her lip in pure giddiness.

Namu spotted an open seat further back and headed down the neighboring isle.

"Welcome," Yugi smiled up at him as he passed.

"Thank you," Namu said, courteously. His eyes landed on Ryou again and he smiled kindly as he walked by.

Ryou smiled back, then quickly looked down at his hands wringing together in his lap. He could feel the hot blush rising in his cheeks. That was a smile! Not a dismissive shadow of a grimace, not a bored smirk; that was a genuine smile! At _him! _

Ryou tentatively sucked on his lip and dared to look over his shoulder. The Egyptian had selected a spot one row over and two seats back from Tristan. That was… Ryou counted… four seats back and one seat over from Ryou's -

"Mr. Bakura," The teacher said calmly, making the pale one's head instantly spin back around, despite his quiet tone. "Eye's forward, please."

"Yes, Sir," Ryou said quietly, hating how small his voice sounded.

…


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I really don't know how club activities work so I just thought i'd wing it *shrug***

* * *

><p>Ch3<p>

...

Class resumed as mundane as it always did. Throughout the day, Ryou found himself glancing over to Duke, who was receiving continuous whispers from Yugi and Tea. He noticed Joey trying to get in on the conversation more than once, but the teacher kept stopping the lessons to put an end to it. Ryou wanted to glance back at Namu as well, but it was difficult to do without being obvious. The few times he succeeded, he found the Egyptian staring intently at Duke. Or was it Yugi? Ryou wasn't sure, and he didn't want to stare long enough to find out at the risk of being noticed. As he worked on his own assignment, he wondered how best to approach the new student.

"Why _that_ student?" The Spirit's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Ryou froze for a moment, thinking.

_Well_, he thought in his mind, …_because._

"Because…?" The Spirit asked.

_Because … Yugi's group seems to be making the other one feel welcome enough, I may as well handle this one. _

"Hmph," The Voice sounded amused, "And what will you say to make him feel so welcome, Host?"

Ryou furrowed his brow in puzzlement; he had been wondering the same thing.

As the day went on, he still had no answer to the question. Anything he had come up with to say sounded dumb and severely awkward. He gave a woeful sigh; he'd never been clever with small talk.

During lunch, he looked around, but couldn't see where Namu had disappeared to. Duke was entertaining a thick cluster of blushing girls, while Yugi and his friends had their usual get-together. So, once more, Ryou sat alone.

As the day came to a close, he made up his mind to just walk over and introduce himself. Conversations could just take off on their own, after all… sometimes. He glanced back; Namu was staring blankly at the paper on his desk, the end up his pencil pressed thoughtfully to his lips.

'I'll just say hello,' Ryou thought. 'I'll go over - casually! - and introduce myself, then….' Then he didn't know what. But he would do it!

The final bell rang and he took a deep breath before turning in his seat. Namu's gaze was fixed once more toward the front of the room. Ryou rose to his feet, waiting for the neighboring students to clear the isle, and headed towards the back. Namu's shifted his gaze and smiled as _Joey_ beat Ryou to the newcomer's desk.

"How bout you, what's you're story?" Joey asked with a grin. Ryou stopped walking.

"Story?" Namu asked.

"Don't be rude, Joey," Yugi said as he joined his friend's side, and turned to the Egyptian. "What he means is, we've had a chance to talk with Duke Devlin a little. We'd like to hear more about you too."

Ryou took a few steps forward.

"Oh, I see." Namu said, looking quite modest if not complimented.

"Why not come with us," Joey said. "We're heading to the plaza for some grub, you can tell us all about yourself."

Namu laughed a little uneasily and stood, "Well, I can't refuse an invitation like that, can I?"

"I'd love to hear about Egypt," Yugi said, leaving no room for Ryou to get a word in as Namu gathered his things and followed the others out of the classroom.

The British boy stood still, frowning at the empty desk. 'What am I, invisible?' he thought. 'Is it so out of your way to invite _me _for once?' It stung. The whole thing stung. Badly. He went back to retrieve his bag then hurried from the room.

As he walked home his shoulders slumped. Of course he'd get their attention, an interesting new student like that. He sure seemed friendly too. Ryou scolded himself; he should've known they'd pounce on such an opportunity. They were all outgoing and social, what would make a quiet loner so interesting to someone like Namu? And as for Devlin, there was no chance at all. Ryou wasn't even sure he really _wanted_ to get to know that one.

"At least the day's over," The Spirit purred inside his mind. "And I know just what'll make it _all_ better." He chuckled in an unsettling tone.

Ryou scrunched up his shoulders further and tried to ignore it. There was no point in arguing, it would only make the ancient being angry.

...

The next day Ryou was _very _sore, and winced as he took his seat. But, as always he did his best to ignore it.

During the class readings, he was pulled from his thoughts as the teacher called on Namu. Ryou hadn't bothered to glance back at the new student today, after yesterday it seemed pointless. He fidgeted with his pencil, resting his head in his free hand and listened to the slight creak of the chair as Namu rose to his feet and quietly cleared his throat. Ryou's eyes glazed over as the Egyptian began to read aloud. The pale one ignored the text, but rather, just took in the sound of his voice; a smooth, charming sound. Nothing spectacular, but notably appealing. Ryou decided he liked it. He twirled his pencil absently in his hand, and wondered vaguely how that voice would sound saying their names… Namu… Joey … Yugi … Tea … Ryou… Ryou Bakura … Bakura …

"Mr. _Bakura."_

"Huh?"

"Please pay attention," The teacher said listlessly. "Would you kindly read the next section?"

"Oh! Yes," Ryou said quickly, rising to his feet. He took up the paper and desperately scanned the text for where he was meant to begin. Drat, he hadn't been listening!

The teacher gave a slight roll of his eyes, "The _fourth_ section, Mr. Bakura."

"Oh, thank you," He quickly cleared his throat and struggled to ignore the snickering from his classmates, as well as the red heat rising in his cheeks. His voice started out shakily, but after clearing his throat again, he determinedly read with a clear and _somewhat_ confident tone. When he'd finished he looked confidently toward the teacher, even as his heart hammered against his chest.

"Thank you, you may sit," The teacher said. Ryou gratefully obliged and buried his face in his hand.

"Just who were you trying so hard to impress with that speech?" The Spirit asked.

"_Shush_," Ryou said irritably, and at the sudden rise of his neighbor's head, he realized he'd said it out loud. Ryou chose this time to stare intently at the text as the next selected student began to read.

...

The day was another sunny one and many of the students chose to go outside during lunch break. Ryou chose a spot at a vacant bench by a tree near the school's fence. He sat quietly, listening to all the sounds of the student body as he ate his lunch.

"I don't care how irritated you get," The Spirit suddenly hissed. "Talk to me like that again and I _will_ make you sorry." As if in agreement, the Millennium Ring glowed dimly through his shirt, thankfully only for an instant. Ryou swallowed his mouthful and quickly assessed the best response. There didn't seem to be any excuse the Spirit would accept.

"I'm sorry," he said, as genuinely as he could.

"That's better," The Voice answered, though it didn't sound very pleased.

Ryou stared at the grass, letting his thoughts go wherever they would.

_Meow._

Ryou looked up in time to see a black cat climb the wire fence and hop down on the other side.

"Miss Kitty!" He exclaimed.

The cat eagerly trotted over to him, meowing.

"What are you doing here?" Ryou asked. "This is school, cat's don't come to school."

The cat just assumed her normal habit of affectionately brushing up against his legs. He smiled down at her and leaned over to stroke her fur.

"I _am _happy to see you though," he said as she rubbed her whiskers against his hand. "I don't think you know just how much."

Another meow, then another, while the cat continued to rub against him. Ryou laughed quietly but said seriously, "Alright, come on now. If you get fur all over my uniform, _I'm_ the one who'll get yelled at for it. Some people are allergic, you know."

_Meow. _

He smirked and broke off a small bit of meat from his sandwich. "Here you go - a 'thank you' for coming to visit."

The cat quickly gobbled the food before looking back up at him expectantly.

Before he could respond, several voices rose up; causing the cat to looked over her shoulder, alert. Ryou looked up to see Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood playing keep-away with a smaller student's backpack. The younger boy yelled and ran between them trying to get at his bag, while the other two laughed loudly and shouted one witless insult after another. Ryou frowned at the rude ruckus.

The cat crouched down as they drew nearer, then ventured cautiously toward the fence, stopping to check their movements. And that's when Rex spotted her.

"Cat!" He yelled, his amusement turning to an expression of a crazed hunter. Weevil turned around and giggled wickedly before withdrawing his string-blaster from inside his jacket and firing at the cat. The first raveled strands hit her before she darted toward the fence. They took off after her, shouting.

"Hey, stop that!" Ryou stood with clenched fists. They ignored him, screaming and firing at the cat as she climbed up the fence and leapt down the other side, disappearing through the trees. Rex jumped up and clung to the mesh wire, shouting "Run, Kitty! Run!"

"Why did you do that!" Ryou demanded. "She wasn't bothering you!"

"No pets at school, Freak!" Rex barked over his shoulder.

"Break the rules and you'll get in huge trouble," Weevil warned.

"Give me back my bag!" The younger boy shouted angrily. Weevil turned his gun on him, laughing as the boy became smothered in the stringy mess. Rex hopped down and heaved the backpack over the fence, "Whoops!" He and Weevil both laughed loudly. "Looks like it's out of bounds!"

"Can't leave school grounds," Weevil grinned, "You could get a suspension."

"What about having that thing at school!" The stringed boy gestured to the gun.

"Worst punishment for stringing is a detention," Weevil said.

"Ha!" Rex laughed, "Nothing out of the ordinary there!"

"Also, they might take it away, but I've got _plenty _more where this came from!" They both walked off laughing obnoxiously.

Ryou glared after them while the other student gave an aggravated growl before climbing the fence.

...

Ryou was in a bitter mood the rest of the day. No one had questioned him about the cat, so he guessed the two morons hadn't bothered to report him. As for the other student, he had retrieved his bag and quickly returned to the school side of the fence without a glance at Ryou, so Ryou hadn't had an opportunity to offer support or service. Even among the bullied, he was ignored.

He doodled absentmindedly in his notebook, until the final bell rang.

"Finally," He said to himself, gathering up his materials and heading for the door behind the majority of the crowd.

"Hey there," A voice said close to his ear. Ryou turned and nearly yelped as he came face to face with a smiling Namu.

"Hu-wha-um!" Ryou stuttered; his eyes wide, as his heart rate suddenly doubled. Namu laughed.

"I didn't mean to startle you."

Ryou tried to laugh too, but it came out a shaky whimper-like noise and he lowered his eyes. He cleared his throat and held onto his bag tighter, trying to fight back the confounded blush that plagued his pale face.

Meanwhile, Namu's face relaxed somewhat as he studied Ryou's features. Then he smiled kindly at him.

"You're name is Bakura, isn't it?"

"Ryou Bakura, yes."

"I was wondering if you might be able to help me."

Ryou's head shot up, "Me?"

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind. I can't seem to find the gymnasium. I was assigned the class but I'm afraid I've missed it the last two days."

"Oh, I see. Well - um. Certainly. Yes, I can show you." He headed out to the hall before saying over his shoulder, "This way." As they walked, he saw his shadow on the floor, all hunched up and timid. That wouldn't do at all. 'First Impressions, Ryou!' he chided himself. As smoothly as he could, he straightened up and lifted his head higher, shifting his bag to a more dignified hold.

"What happened to all the 'small talk'?" The Spirit teased.

Ryou asked suddenly, "What group are you in?"

"What?" Namu asked.

"I mean - um … Have you chosen a club activity yet?"

"Oh, not yet. I'm still getting use to everything, I'm not sure which would suit me best." He smiled and asked, "Do you have a club activity?"

"Track," Ryou answered, a little too quickly. He mentally kicked himself and tried to force himself to relax.

"What's track?"

"Track is…" Ryou's eyes widened as he realized what he'd said. "Track is running long distances as fast as you can. They have a track to run on, so I guess that's why they call it… 'Track'."

'I sound so stupid!' He thought.

"Huh," Namu looked thoughtful. "How fast can _you_ go?"

"I haven't been timed yet," Ryou said. "I'm - I'm still practicing. You know, working up to it."

"Sounds like a good way to let out stress," Namu said pleasantly. "Just run and leave it all behind you."

"Yeah," Ryou laughed too. They neared the gym and he wondered how in the world he was suppose to pull off this lie. Why _had_ he lied? "Here we are."

"Great, thank you very much," Namu said.

"Happy to help," Ryou said, a bit vacantly. He realized his tone sounded a little unhappy so he gave the tan one a quick reassuring smile.

"So how does one get into a club activity?" Namu asked.

"You just find the sign-up sheet for the one you want and write your name down. Then you simply show up."

Namu thought for a moment, "Do you like track?"

"It's -" Ryou nodded, " - It's a good one."

"Maybe I'll try that," Namu said.

Ryou tensed. Namu headed into the gym and Ryou quickly followed him. They made their way over to a couple of narrow tables covered in rows of papers. Different rows were headed with different sports. Namu glanced over the titles until he found what he wanted.

"Track." He picked up a ready pencil and hovered it over the lines. "I just write my name?"

"I think they want you're home room number too," Ryou said.

"Did you write yours down?"

"Uh-huh," Ryou said quickly, biting his lip. He hated lying and he was just making it worse. Namu wrote on the paper then turned to watch some of the other students currently in the gym. "Wow, you guys climb walls too!" He said, admiring the rock wall.

Without a second thought, Ryou seized the opportunity to write his own name down on the next line before quickly putting the pencil down. "Do you want to see the track?" He asked hurriedly, hoping to move away from the tables.

"Sure."

Ryou led the way out the heavy doors and to the steps that led to the track. "It'll include different runs you can do," He explained, trying to sound knowledgeable. "Different runs for different times and distances."

"Neat," Namu said, admiring the lines. "So we'll be doing this at the same time, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Ryou blushed again.

They turned to go back through the gym.

"There you are!" Both boys raised their heads as Tea's voiced echoed through the large room. "We've been looking all over for you, Namu!"

'Of course,' Ryou thought bitterly.

"Yugi, he's in here!" Tea called over her shoulder.

"Ah, there you are, Namu." Yugi hurried over, "Joey and Duke got into it again and now they want us all to go to the arcade to prove some sort of point. Wanna come?"

Namu raised an eyebrow, "Arcade?"

"Oh, it's a place full of video games people can come and play," Tea explained.

Namu turned to Ryou, "Are you going to the arcade?"

Ryou stared at him, "Me?"

Namu laughed, "Yeah, you."

Ryou was dumbstruck; everyone was looking at him. He just stood with his mouth gaping, trying to find words or some sort of _thought_ to work with.

"Bakura's kind of a private person," Tea said.

Ryou looked at her as though he'd been slapped.

"Oh. Do you _want_ to go?" Namu asked, uncertainly. "It sounds like fun."

"I -" Ryou struggled. "I - yeah." His eyes widened as he heard the words from his own mouth.

"Then come with us, Bakura," Yugi said, smiling.

"O-okay." Could this be real?

"Great," Namu said. "Let's go."

...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The black cat is based off a real one that belong to a neighbor I use to have. She didn't get much attention so every day when i came home she'd always hurry across the grass to meet me, and was always very lovable and talkative ^^ They've moved away now and i often miss her. And yes, I called her "Miss Kitty". <strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: FINALLY! Got this thing going again. SOOO happy about that. I'm really REALLY sorry for the wait, guys. Thanks so much for sticking with it - a LOT of stuff's been goin on lately and it's been impossible for me to write till now. (Literally I've been writing all day!) **

**A small bit of this chapter was taken from a writing exercise i did with MissYennon - which was a comedy improve for YGOA. We agreed the arcade scene would be good to add to this story. I changed it up a bit to make it fit better, but some people may recognize it. That's why ;) **

* * *

><p>Ch 4<p>

…

Marik's POV:

…

Ryou said he needed to stop by his locker so Namu took the opportunity to go to the black car waiting for him and let his ride know he'd be going home later. The driver nodded and Namu headed toward the others just as Ryou emerged from the school, rushing to catch up.

"Where's Duke?" Yugi asked, looking around.

"Probably chickened out cause he knows he doesn't stand a chance against dis game king," Joey said with pride.

"Or he's already there and he think's _you've _chicken out," Tristan said with a grin.

Joey gave a rather animated objection before hurrying down the sidewalk, "Come on, hurry up you guys! No pretty dice boy's gonna make a fool outta Joey Wheeler!"

"Did you just call him 'pretty'?" Tea asked as they all hurried to catch up.

Ryou and Namu were left at the back and began to follow when -

"Marik! Marik, wait!"

Ryou turned to see a young woman hurrying toward them. He stopped immediately when he saw her long black hair and Arabic-style dress. "Namu, wait a moment!" He called.

Namu stopped and turned.

"Is she addressing us?" Ryou asked.

When he saw the woman, Namu froze.

"I've been calling you," The woman said, "Why didn't you answer?"

Ryou turned to Namu and the Egyptian's mouth fell open. His eyes darted between both her and Ryou, before quickly looking over his shoulder. The others were still hurrying down the sidewalk, none of them had heard. A nervous laugh escaped his throat as he put a _very_ forced smile on. For a moment he thought of feigning ignorance, but that wouldn't work.

"Go on ahead, Bakura. I'll catch up." The white-haired boy gave him a quizzical look but Namu just gave him a kind nod, so he turned and started after the group.

When the young Egyptian was sure he was out of ear shot, he turned to the woman and took in a sharp breath before saying through tightly clenched teeth, "What are you _doing _here, Ishizu?" His tried to keep his tone pleasant, but the dripping sarcasm wasn't exactly hard to miss.

The woman frowned, taken aback, "We told you we would pick you up after school. Where are you going?"

Namu nodded to the black vehicle, "I already told him where I'm going, where were _you?_"

"I went to the office to get your class information."

Namu held back an aggravated growl, "I've got it all taken care of, we can discuss everything later."

Behind him, Ryou's voice called out across the distance, "Do…do you want to just do this another time, Namu?" He sounded hesitant, as though afraid to interrupt. Namu's eyes grew wide as the woman in front of him quirked an eyebrow and looked from one boy to the next.

"Namu?" She asked.

"Native term!" The blonde said quickly. "I'll be home soon ask Odion for the details I'll call later!" he said rapidly, moving away from her. Before she could protest, he turned and took off running down the sidewalk. He soon dashed past the pale boy and yelled, "Come on, Bakura, let's catch up!"

"Wha -" Ryou blinked and quickly bowed to the woman before running after him, "Hey, wait up!"

…

'Damn it damn it _damn it!' _

Marik Ishtar scowled as he ran along the sidewalk. 'Why did _you _have to come with him to the school, Ishizu! That whole thing could've easily been avoided and now you've all but ruined everything!'

"Hold on!" Ryou said, trying to catch up. "What was that? What just happened?"

Marik had no answer. His brain was buzzing wildly, desperately trying to find any feasible excuse to use.

"Namu, please wait!" Ryou said. The Egyptian stopped and turned around, putting his hands on his hips. "Wow, look at that!" he said a little breathlessly.

Ryou stopped by him and looked back. "Huh?"

"Look how far we've gotten so quickly," Marik smiled and looked at the other teen. "I can see why you chose track. You _are_ a fast runner."

Ryou looked taken aback by the sudden compliment and looked sheepishly down at his feet, "I'm not really…"

"You were right behind me the whole way," Marik added. "I'll have to keep my eye on you if I don't want to be left in the dust."

Ryou's eyes widened and he stared at the blonde, no longer aware of the ever-growing blush staining his complexion. Marik laughed.

"Let's see if I have what it takes to be in your club." He turned and bent his knees. "Race you to the others - Go!" In a flash he was off and Ryou stumbled in the attempt to follow. He managed to keep his place a few feet behind, though he was too distracted by the wind blowing through the many shades of blonde hair to bridge the gap.

They approached the plaza and Marik quickly came to a stop behind Yugi's group. The others turned in time to see Ryou attempting to skid to a halt. His shoes slid over the pavement and nearly went out from under him just as Tristan reached out and caught him by the arm.

"Whoa! Where you going?" the brunette said playfully. Instead of answering, Ryou looked back at Marik who was laughing again. He idly thought he could get _very _used to that sound.

"You're good," Marik said, wiping his arm across his forehead. "You're really good."

"Heheh," Ryou chuckled coyly.

"Come on, guys!" Tea yelled, dashing in through the open arcade entrance. The others followed after. It had been a long time since Ryou had been inside the arcade. He'd forgotten how flashy and loud everything was. Kids and teens everywhere were talking over one another, their voices melding with the continuous beeps and sirens of high and low scores, digital character dialog, and electronic firepower.

"This way, Namu," Yugi said and his group headed to the counter to buy tokens. The Egyptian was dazzled by the virtual party going on around him in the dim building. He followed after them and leaned over to see what they were in line for.

Tristan looked back and noticed this. "The video games need tokens to work so you pay for them here before you play."

"Oh…" Marik straightened up and looked thoughtful. "I probably don't need to stand in line then, huh?"

"Why not?" Ryou asked from behind him.

"I don't have much money on me today."

"Don't sweat it, we'll spot ya," Joey said before the pale teen had a chance to offer. "Hey, Yug, got some money for Namu?" Yugi gave him a look.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. I'll just watch," Namu said kindly.

"No, it's no trouble at all," Yugi said, reaching into his pocket. "This is you're first time in an arcade, isn't it?"

"Yeah, ya gotta live it up the first time," Joey winked and gave the other blonde a thumb's up.

Defeated, Marik shrugged and looked back at Ryou. "Friendly bunch, aren't they?" he said absently.

"Yeah," Ryou said with less enthusiasm. He sighed to himself and made up his mind to get some extra tokens anyway.

"Where'd Tea go?" Joey asked when they'd gotten out of line. She'd been several spots ahead of them to get tokens and had long since disappeared.

"You have to ask?" Tristan said. "She's been going on about DDR all day."

"Whatever… Where the hell is Duke!" Joey looked all around and made his way through the randomly placed video games to find his opponent. Tristan followed while Yugi stayed behind.

"You've played video games before, right?" Yugi asked Namu as he passed him a handful of tokens.

"Uhh… Once or twice. But nothing like this," the tan one admitted.

"Well, have a look around. They have a lot of different kinds of games."

"What kind do _you_ like?"

"Oh, there's target practice games, battle games you can challenge another person to, sports ones like basketball, driving, racing-"

"They have driving?" Ryou heard the excitement in his voice and turned to see Marik's eyes widened significantly.

"Oh yeah, you like racing games?" Yugi asked. "There's some this way." He led the way with Marik eagerly following and Ryou trailing behind.

They stopped at two game consoles side by side, one of which was already occupied by a younger teen with his hat on backwards. Yugi gestured for Marik to take a seat.

"Tokens go here," he explained. "This one wants two coins."

The other kid watched as the Egyptian selected simple settings for his machine. "Wanna race?" he asked.

"We can race each other?" Marik asked. The kid nodded with a sly smirk. "Alright!" Marik grinned, "Let's do it!"

"Choose a level."

"Whichever you want."

"Think you can handle 'Expert'?"

"Ooh," Marik raised his eyebrows with intrigue.

"This is his first time on a driving game," Yugi explained. "Why not do it on 'Medium'."

Marik looked up at Yugi, unsure which option was preferable. "I think I can take it."

"Yeah, 'Medium's a sissy level," the other player said. Marik made a face of disapproval.

"Choose 'Hard' then," Ryou piped up. The others looked at him. "There's a 'Hard' option between those two, go for that."

"Good idea," Marik said, switching the settings.

"Alright," the kid said. Ryou couldn't help but smile.

The game began it's countdown and Ryou sniggered as both players revved their cars in anticipation. The teen in the hat kept his foot on the gas, while Marik let up as the countdown said "GO!" before slamming it down again. His car ended up with a few seconds' advantage and he sped off, quickly passing the computer-driven opponent cars. But the teen's car was close behind and they raced along the windy road, occasionally passing one another at the turns. After they'd done one lap, the teen tried to pass on the inside of a turn, while Marik moved to cut him off. Nose hit tail and Marik's car was spun off the road leaving animated skid marks everywhere. The others groaned in amused defeat.

"Come on, Namu!" Yugi said excitedly. With a wild burn out, Marik spun the wheel hard and sped off after his target. It took almost a full lap to catch up but he was finally on the verge of passing him again. Before he knew it, the white line sped by underneath and his console flashed "2nd Place!" Marik blinked at it, a bit stunned.

"It's over already?"

"Yeah, this level only has two laps because the road is longer. Good try though."

"Yeah, not bad," the teen said as he got up and went to search for another video game.

"Aw," Marik mumbled. "I was just getting into it."

"I'll race you," Yugi offered, moving around the take the empty seat.

"Yes, great!" Marik squirmed in his seat and quickly added more tokens.

"Same map?" Yugi asked.

"No, let's try another one."

Ryou put his arm up on the back of Marik's seat and smiled at the blonde's excitement. He was silently grateful to be here at the arcade with his school mates instead of at home by himself in that dark, quiet house. He felt his usual despair creeping up on him and quickly shook his head, tuning back in to the race. They sat through two more races, before Tristan showed up on Yugi's side. He waited until the race ended before announcing, "Joey found Duke. You won't believe what they're challenging each other to."

Yugi got up from his seat, and Marik did the same.

They followed Tristan to where a notable crowd had gather around -

"Oh, no _way!"_ Yugi yelled as they approached the DDR platform. Joey was gasping for air against the bars, his screen filled with a large, flashing "FAILED!" Tea stepped down from her side of the platform, laughing so hard her eyes were squinty. Her skin glistened slightly from the exertion of her exercise and she fanned herself with one hand with the other clutching at her ribs.

"You -Hahaha! You missed the funniest -" she doubled over in front of Yugi, unable to finish through her laughter.

Over the noise of the crowd, Joey panted, "I de-…mand a… rematch!" Unable to respond, Tea merely waved her arms to decline.

"Want a drink?" Yugi asked her. She nodded and they headed to the counter.

"Hurry back," Tristan called. "It's about to get better!"

"I take it you lost?" Marik asked, leaning in to be heard by Joey.

"Man! I lost my shoe and everything!"

Marik laughed, "You lost you're _shoe?" _Joey held up his foot, from which his shoe hung half way off. Marik laughed.

"It's not funny," Joey said, running his hand through his hair.

"Don't worry, Joey," Tristan called. "It's not you, she's just too good at this game." He turned to Yugi as he led Tea back through the crowd; her mouth devoted to the end of a drink straw.

"Yeah, she only _lives_ off of this game," Yugi added with a grin.

"Hey," Tea said, giving him a playful swat.

Yugi put his hands around his mouth and called, "What's this I hear about 'It's impossible a human being could dance this bad, a dog must be rolling on the game pad!'? Did you break the machine, Joey?"

"_Hey!" _Joey snarled, causing more laughter to erupt from the group. "Get your lazy butts up here and win it then, huh!"

"Nah, I'm good," Tristan grinned.

"Yugi?" Joey gave him a challenging look.

Yugi shook his head, smiling.

"That's what I thought!"

Tea shook her head, "Jeez, Joey. I've seen you be a klutz time and time again, but _that…!" _

"_That_ was the saddest display yet," Duke Devlin's voice added as he finally approached the available dance pad.

"Bout _time_, ya coward!' Joey barked.

"Don't flatter yourself, blondie," Duke flipped his hair back. "I was signing autographs."

"What_ever!" _

Shouts rang up from a cluster of girls behind duke, all waving papers in the air with a signature on them. "Go Duke, go!" "We love you, Duke!" "Win it for me! Win it for me!"

Joey gaped at this and then clenched his teeth angrily. "Dat's it! You're goin' down, Devlin!"

"Might want to tie your shoe first!" Marik said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Joey knelt down and double knotted his laces, inspected his other shoe, then stood up again. "Alright! _Bring_ it, pretty boy!"

Tea gestured with her hand, "He just did it _again!" _Laughter erupted along with taunts from all the onlookers.

Ryou decided to move up closer, toward where Marik was standing. The tan one was once again dazzled by the spectacular neon colors lighting up the platform and screens.

The beginning signs flashed as Joey prepped his footing, and Duke simply shifted his weight to the other side. "Somebody's Watching Me" began and Joey leapt right into it, determined to use his whole body to win. He heard cheers rising from the crowd and glanced over - Duke was doing little more than smoothly moving his hips and legs, hitting every square perfectly with minimal effort. Joey gaped at him then heard a noise saying he'd missed a step. He refocused his attention on his screen.

"Tell me who's watching me!" the computer sang.

"_Everybody's_ watching _me,"_ Duke said with a wink over his shoulder at his squealing fan girls. He then pulled out a pair of fuzzy dice and swung them around like some bizarre nun-chuck or string baton.

"God, he's a cocky bastard!" Yugi said, his expression a mix of amusement and mild distaste. He didn't notice Tea's hungry stare as she agreed, "Uh_-huh!" _She danced in place to the beat, her eyes fixed on Duke's rear.

"What the hell?" Joey glanced over and saw what Duke was doing.

"He's not even looking at the _screen_, Joey!" Tristan shouted.

"Is that dice thing part of the game?" Marik wondered out loud. He looked over and saw Ryou moving in place to the music; eye's fixed on the two players while he lip-sinked the words as they sounded over the game speakers. The white-haired boy was smiling slightly to himself.

Marik grinned and leaned toward him. "You like this song?" he asked over the music.

Ryou stopped short and blinked at him. "Oh… Oh my! Was I -?"

Marik laughed and nodded.

"Oh bugger," Ryou put a hand over his eyes.

"It _is_ a catchy beat!" Marik said. Ryou was glad there was red amongst the flashing lights shining on them, but it didn't hide his embarrassment.

"Look man!" Joey yelled to Duke. "Dis ain't no cheerleader's tryout. You're suppose to just work with you're feet!"

"Joey, stop trying to stifle his sexy! I mean, creativity!" Tea shouted. Yugi's head shot around to look at her, an eyebrow quirked.

The song ended, Joey landed with a punctuated stomp on the last notes and threw his arms in the air as his screen flashed multiple colors.

"_Yeah!_ Only missed six! Eat that, Diceboy!"

"Yeah, well I didn't miss _any_. Duke Devlin never misses a beat, right girls?" His fans squealed as he tossed the fuzzy dice toward them - they about killed each other to get to it.

"You did so! You ain't got no perfect score!"

"I got a higher score than you, Spaz. Doesn't matter the points, winning is winning. And you lost."

"Grr," Joey clenched his fists while Duke stepped off the platform.

"Come on Joey, you'll feel better after some pizza," Yugi called as the onlookers began to break away and go back to their preferred games.

"After dat, I'll never feel better again," Joey grumbled as he hopped down from the dance pad.

"Coming, Namu?" Tea asked.

"No thank you, I'm not that hungry."

"If you change your mind, we're over here. Oh, same to you, Bakura."

Ryou looked after her but said nothing. He looked back at Marik and was startled to see a shocked expression on the Egyptian's face.

"What's wrong?" Ryou asked.

"Is that-?" Marik hurried past Ryou and toward a motorcycle racer. Ryou followed him.

"It _is! _They have motorcycle video games!" he cried excitedly.

"Yeah, you like those?"

"Does this do the same as the car one? How many tokens does it want?"

"Right there," Ryou pointed to where it instructed. Marik's face fell.

"They want two?" he checked his pocket. "I only have one left."

"Here!" Ryou quickly dived into his own pocket and brought out a handful of tokens.

Marik immediately beamed. "Thank you! But I don't want to take all your coins-"

"It's okay!" Ryou said quickly. "I got them for you."

Marik met his gaze and Ryou smiled at him. "I thought just in case you ended up really liking the games." He shrugged.

"Wow," Marik looked down at the tokens. "Thanks a lot, Bakura."

"You can call me Ryou if you want," the confidence was short lived and he looked down shyly again.

"This is excellent!" Marik quickly deposited the tokens and then hopped onto the bike, testing the handles.

Ryou stood happily by, watching the tan one play his game. He'd marveled the way his blonde hair and bronze skin looked against the black seat of the car game, now he admired Marik's form as it rode almost naturally on the shiny blue bike. He really was pretty, though Ryou wished there was another word for it… hot? … yes, that could work very well. Namu was very hot.

"This is a lot better when you have wind coming at you," Marik commented.

"You've ridden a real one?"

"I have a real one."

"_Really?" _Ryou raised his eyebrows. "Wow."

"I love it," Marik grinned into the game screen as he rode the streets with perfect ease. "It's the greatest feeling I've ever experienced. There's just nothing else like it." Ryou's heart felt warm as he heard the genuine affection in Marik's words. But something caught his eye and he looked up to see a group of girls whispering and giggling to each other as they watched the new student lean from one side to the other on the bike. Ryou's face fell but he stood with his head up, his hands behind his back.

"Can I go again?" Marik asked hopefully.

"Of course, as much as you like."

"Thanks," Marik turned back and added two more tokens. "I feel bad with you just watching though."

"Oh, I'm fine," Ryou said, looking sidelong as the gushing girls. He got the feeling they would try to come close soon. He didn't want that. He finally had his turn alone with Namu, and dammit, he was going to _keep _that time. Casually, Ryou moved around the back of the bike and stood between the girls and his comrade. He didn't care if they hissed and griped; he'd had enough interruptions.

He watched Marik continue to race different maps for a while. "You sure you're not hungry?"

"I have food at home."

"Do you not like pizza?"

"That has meat on it doesn't it?" Marik asked as he leaned to the far left, turning a tight corner.

"Usually."

"I don't eat meat."

"Ah, I see." He continued to watch as he thought some more. "There are other places that have vegetarian pizzas."

"Hmm," Marik hadn't blinked once, his eyes fixed on the graphics before him. "Is that good?"

"I've never had it."

Again and again, Marik raced - every time getting first place and high scores. When he finally used the last of his tokens, he sat up and stretched.

"Impressive," Ryou said with a nod.

"Yeah -whoa!" The tan one rubbed at his eyes. "My vision's fuzzy."

"It's not really good to stare at a screen for too long, especially up close. I'm sorry, I should've said something sooner."

"It's fine," Marik chuckled. "It was a lot of fun."

Ryou smiled warmly. Marik blinked a few times then stared at the pale teen in front of him. Ryou raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Marik smirked, "You should smile more often."

Ryou blinked at him in surprise. Marik shrugged.

"You have a really nice smile."

The whitette didn't know how to respond. His face was _very _red now. There was no hiding it. He opened his mouth but nothing came out except, "Hu- I- it, um…mm."

Marik laughed again.

…

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter :D please let me know what you think. I'm dying for some feedback. <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Once again, don't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh or anything like that, this is just for fun, nothing more ^-^ **

* * *

><p>Ch 5<p>

…

When evening time rolled around, the group said their goodbyes and got ready to head for home. Duke Devlin had long since disappeared and Joey was left making promises to the empty air to redeem himself the next time the opportunity occurred. Marik had called for his ride and thanked the others once more before getting into the black car. Ryou watched until the car disappeared before sighing to himself. The others began to make their way home and Yugi turned to wave at him.

"Bye, Bakura."

"Yeah, later," Joey gave a small wave.

"Goodbye everyone, thanks for inviting me," Ryou waved back. He doubted they'd heard, they were already conversing about other things as they walked away. Oh well.

Ryou put his hands in his pockets and began his walk. He passed the school, confirming his prior thoughts about how lonesome the place looked without the student body pulsing through it. The sun was setting lower, leaving warm colors across the few clouds in the sky. He approached the far corner of the wall where his house came into view around the corner. He glanced up and noticed the black spot perched on the stone.

"There you are!" Ryou beamed. The cat quickly turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "Hello, Miss Kitty." He clicked his tongue and the cat rose to her feet, trotting over to him. He reached up, letting her curiously sniff at his fingers.

"I'm so sorry about what happened earlier," he said. The cat rubbed her whiskers against his fingertips and leaned into his touch as he pet her, "Some people are so horrid… I _did _tell you school wasn't for cats though, didn't I?" She began to purr and Ryou smiled, "But still, that's no excuse to be rude, is it?" He glanced over at his house.

"I can get you some milk if you would like?" He offered, knowing full well she didn't understand. He began walking and, at her unsure stare, patted his hand to his leg, "Come on then." She curiously followed him and hopped down from the wall at the corner.

Ryou opened his front door and left it open, calling the cat in after him. She stood cautiously on the porch steps, peering into the house. He decided she most likely wouldn't trust a big new place right away so he went to the kitchen, continuing to talk to her as he got some milk.

"I made a new friend today." He glanced repeatedly at the doorway as he got a bowl. The cat crouched, looking everywhere she could see from outside. "His name is Namu. He's from Egypt. I didn't see him at lunch or else you may have gotten the chance to meet him. He's a really nice fellow." Ryou placed the little bowl in the microwave and warmed it just enough to get the chill out. "We got to show him the arcade for the first time today. He's never played many of those games, but I'd say he's got a real knack for them. He looked like he was having some good fun, and that was nice." The pale boy smiled to himself as he got the dish and walked back to the door. He took a seat on the top step and set the bowl down next to him.

"Here you are," he invited the cat over and she eagerly sniffed at the beverage before happily indulging; wrapping her tail in tight around her feet as she did. Ryou watched for a moment and wrapped his arms around his knees, looking thoughtfully at the sidewalk.

"I'm wondering if I should write to my father about him… I've always been incredibly vague when I write about my school mates… Honestly, I've even been stretching the truth more than I should be."

He looked down and gently stroked the fur between the cat's ears. She didn't seem to mind, and continued drinking.

"But maybe I should wait on that," Ryou continued thoughtfully. "It would be a pity to say too much too soon, wouldn't it? And if Namu decides he'd rather not spend time with me so much…" He shook his head. "Oh listen to me! That's no way to think, is it? I've had a really fun time today and it's no good to think so dismally about what _could_ be. I'm sure you don't want to listen to such whining anyway." He went back to looking at the sidewalk, fidgeting one sneaker against the other. "I think Namu could be a good friend. We'll be spending time in track together -" he stiffened, "Cor, blimey! I completely forgot about that!"

Ryou sighed and let his head fall to his knees. "Oh, I've gone and made a mess of things. I told Namu I'm on the track team and I've never done anything of the sort in my life… What will he say? … What will I _do?_ I made it sound like I have a place there and they'll see me as a new runner just as he is." He turned his head and looked at the cat, who'd finished her treat and was bathing her paw and face. "What shall I do, Miss Kitty?" Ryou asked quietly.

…

The next day Namu was not in school. Ryou couldn't hide his disappointment over this. And it didn't help that Joey had to bring it up more than once, "Hey, where's Namu?"

"You think he's sick?" Tristan asked.

"You don't think he got in trouble for staying out late, do you Yugi?" Tea asked.

"I don't see why he would. And definitely not enough to be out of school… Maybe he had some stuff to take care of? He is new to Domino City after all."

Ryou looked to them, then to Namu's empty seat, "Hmm…" He turned forward again, and sighed to himself before opening his notebook to a fresh page.

…

By the last quarter as Ryou was gathering his things, he heard Tristan talking with the others.

"I saw Namu in one of his other classes, he was collecting his assignments."

"Why wasn't he in school today?" Joey asked.

"He said he had to help set up for the exhibition at the museum."

"Oh, that's right, he transferred here along with the Egyptian hosts, didn't he?"

"Did he say when the exhibit would be open?" Yugi asked eagerly.

"I didn't ask, but he said the preparations were going fine, so I don't think it'll be too much longer."

"Is he still here?"

"I think he's heading home, he's got some work to catch up on."

"Man, tough bein' the new kid," Joey said.

Ryou slid his pack onto his shoulder.

'Poor Namu,' he thought as he headed for the hall. 'That's a lot of work to be done… Maybe he could use some help?' Ryou lowered his head and felt the heat tinge his cheeks. 'But then maybe that's too forward of me… I just want to be helpful, that's all."

…

Marik pulled the car door open and dropped his bag inside. He stopped before getting in, noticing a certain white-haired teen walking away from the school, alone.

He thought for a moment, "We don't need to be home right away do we?" he asked the driver.

"Not urgently," the older man answered.

"Wait a while for me then," Marik stared after the other student. "I want to check something out."

The driver turned in his seat to see what his younger brother was looking at. He spotted the teen and turned back to Marik, "May I ask why, Master-"

"Shh!" Marik bent down to look at him, "I told you not to call me that in public."

"Forgive me - Marik. May I ask why you are doing this now?"

Marik gave a sly grin as he shut the door and leaned into the open window. "I'm impatient," he said in a low voice. He turned and hurried through the crowd of students, jogging toward his target of interest.

"Bakura!" He called. "Hey, Ryou!"

Ryou stopped short and blinked, wondering who in the world would be calling him. He looked back to see Marik waving him down and hurrying to catch up with him.

"Ryou!"

"Namu?"

"Hey, are you going straight home?" The tan one asked, a little breathlessly.

"Uh, no," Ryou said hesitantly.

"Mind if I ask where you're headed?" Marik smiled. "I've got some time before I need to be home."

"Oh," Ryou blinked, a little surprised. "I was, um, I was going to visit my Mum and sister."

"Oh!" Marik nodded in understanding, "I see, so this probably isn't the best time for company. I understand -"

"No! - I mean yes! Uh, that is, um …You could come," Ryou shrugged meekly, "If you wanted to."

"Really, are you sure?"

"It won't be very exciting, but…" Ryou smiled.

"Not to worry. I think I'd like to meet them," Marik smiled back as they started walking down the sidewalk.

"I'm sure they'll like to meet you as well," Ryou said. "We just need to make one quick stop first, is that alright?"

"Of course, whatever you need. I'm just killing time. Home's boring if you're there too long."

Ryou gave a small laugh, "I can attest to _that_."

The stop ended up being a small corner store where Ryou purchased a couple of flower bouquets. He blushed a little as he exited the store, and Marik smiled at him.

"That's awfully nice of you."

Ryou shook his head, "No, it's the least I can do." He led the way around the corner and they continued walking side by side.

"I take it you live with your father then?" Marik asked.

"Technically," Ryou said with a smirk. "What about you?"

"I live in an apartment with my brother and sister," Marik said casually, then he noticed Ryou's curious look, "I'm the youngest."

"Are your parents back in Egypt then?"

"You could say that," Marik hesitated before saying lightly, "We're orphans."

Ryou gave a small gasp.

"Quite a few years now," Marik said with a dismissive smile.

"I'm so sorry," Ryou said.

"Meh," Marik shrugged. "Ishizu's always been like a mother and sister rolled up into one, and I've always been able to turn to Odion for anything, so it's no big deal."

"Hmm," Ryou glanced sadly at the sidewalk before looking up. "Here we are." He walked through the opening in an iron gate and started crossing the grass. Marik looked up and stopped dead in his tracks, mouth open slightly. The area was packed full of …gravestones? They'd entered a cemetery!

"Ryou?" Marik said uneasily.

"This way," The other called pleasantly over his shoulder. Marik twitched slightly before hurrying after his companion, unnecessarily careful not to step anywhere he shouldn't. When he managed to catch up to him, Marik said uncertainly, "I thought we were going to see your…" He stopped altogether.

Ryou was kneeling down in front of a small space occupying two stones. He lit a couple of incense sticks and set one by either stone on the inside.

"Hello, Mum. Amane," Ryou said pleasantly to them. Marik went rigid. Were they not just talking about this? And yet it was so eerily out of the blue.

"I've brought a friend with me!" Ryou said excitedly. "Here, this is Namu." He nodded to his companion and smiled at Marik expectantly.

"Uh…Hello…" Marik said awkwardly, his eyes shifting between Ryou and the headstones. What was he _suppose_ to say?

Ryou turned back and set to work dividing up the flowers and setting them neatly in the vases already occupying the graves. He removed a few of the dying ones already there and adjusted the new blossoms evenly. Marik took a few steps closer and read the stones. The life spans were notably different but the death dates were the same.

"I wrote you another story, Amane," Ryou reached into his pocket and withdrew a few folded papers, holding them up as though expecting some reaction from the stone. He then used the lighter to light the lowest tip of the paper on fire and laid it on a narrow metal plate set between the incense. "I think you'll like this one."

"You write to them?" Marik asked. He watched as Ryou took a wooden box from behind the plate, opened the lid and scooped the ashes from the paper inside.

"Yes. Sometimes I write letters, sometimes stories. My sister always wanted me to tell her stories." Ryou smiled fondly.

Marik thought for a moment, "So all those times you're writing around school, you're… not just doing homework, are you?"

Ryou shook his head. "I write as things come to me."

"That… that's sad," Marik said quietly. Unable to decipher his tone, Ryou turned and looked at Marik; the Egyptian's face was sincerely sorrowful, not mocking. He turned back to the stones.

"I think it does them good to know everything's well with those of us still here."

"You don't believe in reincarnation?" Marik asked.

"I do," Ryou said thoughtfully, "But I also believe it takes a while between death and rebirth. I don't know when if ever they'll be around again in my lifetime, but I will certainly be thinking of them for the rest of my days."

Marik gave a tiny sigh, he found he was somewhat moved by all this.

"May I ask what happened? The last dates are the same."

"Car wreck," Ryou said simply.

"Oh…"

Ryou turned back again, "What about you?"

A small crease formed between Marik's eyebrows. "I never knew my Mother."

"What happened to her?"

Marik stared at Ryou a moment before saying stiffly, "Me." He pressed his lips together forming a thin line.

Ryou blinked at him, his face slowly turning sad with understanding.

"She could handle Ishizu but, heh, not me." Marik gave a small, humorless laugh and shifted his weight to the other foot.

Ryou looked puzzled, "Didn't you say you have a brother?"

"He was adopted before she was born."

"Oh…" Ryou was reluctant to continue, Marik was clearly uncomfortable. "Your…You're father?"

Marik bit his lip and shrugged as he looked around at the many headstones. "Was just his time, I guess," he said quietly.

"I truly am sorry, Namu," Ryou said sadly. "Really."

Marik shook it off, "Don't worry." He scratched his head and shifted his weight again, "Listen, can we, uh -?"

"Yes, of course. We can go now," Ryou quickly turned back to the stones. "Goodbye, Mum. Bye, Sis." He brought both hands to his mouth and kissed his fingers before placing them on either stone. "I love you both dearly, and I'll be back again soon." He got up and hurried after Marik who was already halfway to the gate. Once they reached the sidewalk, Marik shook himself slightly and heaved a great sigh.

"Are you alright?" Ryou asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. It was just a bit of a shock, you know?" He gestured over his shoulder. "Cemetery. Wasn't expecting that."

"I'm sorry, I should've told you," Ryou said guiltily. "I guess I've just gotten so used to it."

"Hey, no. Bygones. _I'm _sorry actually. For your loss, that's…that's terrible."

"Yes, well… things happen," Ryou said, the sound of an approaching car blending with his voice.

Marik nodded, "Things happen."

There was brief honking behind them and both looked back.

"Oh, it's my brother. Guess I have to go home now."

"Ah," Ryou said, unable to hide his disappointment.

"Do you want a ride to your house?" Marik asked.

"Oh, no thank you. It's just down the street, I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Thank you, though. I appreciate that."

"Ok, well. See you later then." Marik smiled and headed for the car.

"Namu, wait!" Ryou said with enough urgency that Marik spun around.

"I'm- I'm really sorry," He gestured to the iron gate they left behind, " - if that bothered you. I didn't mean to- "

"No, no! Really it's alright, Ryou. Hey, thanks for letting me come along."

"Ah, well, thank you for _coming_ along." Ryou bounced shyly on his feet.

"I'll see you at school, ok?"

"Sure," Ryou smiled and waved.

"Bye." With that, Marik shut the door and gave a final wave as the car drove away.

Ryou continued bouncing slightly on his feet, arms swaying to and fro, as he let out a heavy sigh. He felt overwhelmed with a sense of excitement that comes from having company and the solitude that comes from a speedy departure. He sincerely hoped Marik was okay and wasn't just pretending for his sake. Ryou put his hands in his pockets and continued on his way home.

…

In the car, Odion glanced over at his brother who was frowning slightly out the window.

"Are you alright, Master?"

Marik watched the scenery roll by before answering, "We had a lovely little visit to a _cemetery_ ." His voice had lost it's friendly cheer and was now low and serious.

Odion glanced at him once more before looking back at the road.

"His mother and kid sister," Marik explained, "died in a car wreck together some years ago."

The older Ishtar was thoughtful before asking, "What of his father?"

Marik shrugged, "Guess he lives with him. I'm not sure." He continued gazing out the window, as the rest of the ride was spent in silence.

…

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><p><strong>Thoughts? Let me know ;) <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Ok guys, I know I promised you lemons in this story, like a LONG time ago, and I'm sorry it's taken so long to get to one, but I want to do this story as best as I can, and that means no rushing. **

**Having said that, I recently caught the flu and had a KILLER fever the past two days, 12 hrs of which were painfully unbearable, but luckily it broke early this morning and now I'm just trying to get through the rest of the sickness. I mention this because it seems to have affected the way I wrote the beginning of this chapter some. I'm not entirely satisfied with it but it seems like the best I can do with an ill mind so please forgive me. The lemon was written right at the start of my illness so i was more coherent - but let me tell you, it is NOT easy to write sex scenes when you feel yucky inside. I did my best for it and I hope you can all enjoy it. **

**Special thanks to my room mate, MissYennon, for beta-ing this for me and fixing up the begging a bit. She's also got what I caught and hopefully she won't suffer it as badly as I did. Please keep your fingers crossed that she'll have a speedy recovery :)**

**I own nothing of Yu-Gi-OH! If I did, I would give (yes, I said GIVE) a huge chunk of the rights to LittleKuriboh so he'd finally have room to work his creativity without getting shut down, and he could even earn some income for his award-worthy comedy spoof. **

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><p>Ch 6<p>

…

Ryou closed the front door and locked it behind him. He went about his usual routine, sorting the mail, switching on the radio, changing out of his uniform, washing his face, making some tea. All rather droll, but could he really complain? It looked like he'd finally been given his "good luck" at last. He smiled to himself. 'See Ryou? It helps to keep the faith in good fortune."

A chill went through him and he shivered. He looked around the living room and decided to do his homework upstairs in his room. He took his tea and school bag, heading for his room… another shiver. Ryou lowered his head as he walked, suddenly conscious of the heavy metal hanging from his neck. The chill in the air seemed to follow him up the stairs, and Ryou actually peeked inside his room before entering. He took a seat on his bed and opened his reading assignment… but his eyes scanned blindly from line to line. He couldn't concentrate. The vibe was undeniable, and he sighed to himself, knowing without a doubt what it was: the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was aggravated.

Ryou sat quietly, waiting to see if the Spirit would speak, but he didn't. He was watching though, Ryou was sure of it. And that made him very uneasy. He debated whether or not to address it. Maybe the Spirit wanted to be left alone? But that didn't seem likely. But then why didn't he speak as he usually did? … Perhaps it was waiting for _him _to speak first… Ryou hunched up his shoulders guiltily.

The minutes ticked by and not once did that icy feeling of being watched let up. The Spirit was most certainly aggravated with his host.

Not sure how too address this, Ryou meekly called, "S-Spirit?"

"Yes?" The reply was immediate, as though the ancient being had been expecting it.

Ryou swallowed and kept his eyes on his book, "Are… you alright today? You seem upset."

There was a pause.

Ryou felt his heartbeat intensify.

"Why would I be upset, young one?"

Ryou shrugged. "It happens to us all." He felt another chill and knew that wasn't the right response.

More silence stretched out with Ryou not knowing what else he could say. But it was the Spirit who spoke next.

"Why don't you tell me how _you're _feeling today - _Ryou._"

The British boy closed his book and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He looked down at the floor and said quietly, "Fine, thank you."

"That's not what I asked."

Suddenly Ryou's head began to spin. He felt himself falling forward, only to be caught by a pair of hands on his shoulders. Ryou blinked and looked around. So, he was in the soul room again; this time manifested as his own bedroom.

Those long fingers kneaded into his shoulders, pinching slightly, but still sending a pleasant feeling through the teen's muscles.

"You don't appear as downhearted as usual," the thief whispered next to Ryou's ear.

"Mm-mm," Ryou agreed vaguely.

"Getting time out of the house…" the Spirit brushed his lips across Ryou's neck, "Spending time with others… Seems like it's done you some good, doesn't it?" He ran his fingers up Ryou's neck and into his hair. Ryou found himself leaning into the touch little by little. Though he'd just left his schoolmates and he'd just said goodbye to Namu, he still felt the need for some attention. He idly imagined a starving person who'd been given a little appetizer sample. That person would be grateful, but the worst of the hunger would be rekindled, wouldn't it?

Ryou reached back and ran his hands over the Spirit's thighs, feeling the other hands move down his own back and over his ribs.

"Are you angry at me?" Ryou asked quietly.

The thief gave him a squeeze as he nestled his face into the crook of the boy's neck. "Should I be?" he asked in a deep and unsettling voice. Ryou let out an unsteady breath, raising one of his hands to place over his companion's.

"I don't want you to be."

"There's an easy fix for that, my young host…" he held Ryou against him and let his hands move everywhere they wanted. He leaned in close and hissed in his ear, "Don't _do_ anything to make me angry." He licked along the shell of Ryou's ear. "It's that simple."

Ryou winced and shivered a little. As much as he didn't like the way his "past-incarnate" treated him, he _was_ feeling lonesome again and thought maybe, just _maybe, _he could salvage some enjoyment out of this.

He turned in the spirit's grasp and encircled his torso with his arms, leaning into him.

The Spirit raised a hand to Ryou's hair as the younger soul ran his hands along his body, and pressed his forehead into his chest.

"Well, you're certainly affectionate this evening, aren't you?"

Ryou wasn't sure how to respond. It was true he felt the need for some physical attention, enough to even accept some from his tormentor, but he didn't really know why.

"I think," Ryou started in a soft tone, "I think I've missed you."

The Spirit peered thoughtfully over his host's head as he slid his hands along his back.

"…You think you've missed me -," he repeated. He then grabbed the teen by the arms and forced him backward onto the bed. Ryou let out a choked breath, his eyes widened in shock, as the other quickly pounced on him, pinning him down. " - I think not!"

Ryou stared up at him fearfully, his breath already quickened and uneven.

"_I _think you've found something _elsewhere_ that's created these affectionate feelings in you, my young host." He leaned down to Ryou's ear and hissed venomously, "Or is it some_one? … _I wonder…"

"It's not!" Ryou said hastily. The spirit leaned back and leered down at him with dangerously narrow eyes. "Honestly, it's not."

"Don't you dare lie to me, little one," the Spirit warned. "I will _not _tolerate that for a moment!" He emphasized this by claiming Ryou's neck inside his claw-like grip.

"Wait!" Ryou urged. "I mean it, this is for you! Just for you!"

There was a low growl in the thief's throat; it was clear he didn't believe him.

"It's true I've had fun with my friends recently -" Ryou said hurriedly, "and that's something I've really needed, but…" He let his hands stroke the arms that held him down. "This is about you now."

Still silence. He continued.

"You've sat back and let me spend time with my school mates. You've been very generous to me, and I see that. You've given me time to myself even, and I'm very, very grateful."

He felt the Spirit's grip on his throat slacken, just a little.

"So isn't it your turn now?" He saw those cold eyes harden again and quickly added: "You deserve great thanks for putting yourself second when we both know you deserve to come first."

Ryou urged with his eyes for his possessor to believe him, while his fingertips continued to caress the body that held him down.

"Heh," The ancient being sneered and repositioned himself over his target. He moved one hand from Ryou's neck in order to hold his own weight on his forearm. "You've inherited my ability to charm and manipulate through your teeth, my dear boy."

"I'm not lying…" Ryou lowered his voice to a just above a whisper, "… Bakura."

The other raised a wickedly arced eyebrow at this, scanning the younger version of his face for deception. His counterpart raised a hand and slid his fingers into that more wild, white hair. "I'm not lying."

And the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, Bakura, lowered his face close to his host's; searching for a flinch or any hesitance. There was none. He parted his lips over the other's, and it was Ryou who leaned up to claim them fully. Bakura accepted this momentarily before leaning in further and deepening it. He felt Ryou's fingers slide to the back of his head, claiming more of the snowy locks and holding their faces together. The spirit's grip finally let loose on the teen's neck and instead moved down over his collar bone, pushing back the opening of his shirt. Ryou turned his head and devotedly dared to challenge the other's tongue in a dance for control, all the while moving his hand along the slender ribs above him.

Bakura responded to this immediately, cleverly teasing his younger partner's tongue and leaving plenty of room for him to prove his own skill, but never giving up his own space for a moment.

Ryou stroked the fabric over Bakura's chest before moving his hands all the way down his stomach and around his hips to cup the seat of his jeans.

The thief broke his mouth away to move to Ryou's neck, kissing and biting. Ryou hissed slightly but didn't object, bringing his leg up between Bakura's. He sighed heavily when he felt the other's hips come down to meet it, and slid it slowly back and forth against the growing bulge there.

Bakura sat up, straddling the teen, and undid his own shirt. Ryou quickly sat up as well, placing his hands to Bakura's back while he kissed and licked the taut muscles of his ivory abs. Both were breathing heavily now, as Bakura stroked Ryou's head encouragingly. The teen worked to undo the button of the jeans in front of him, while the Spirit moved a hand down his back and lifted the hem of Ryou's shirt. His slender fingers moved down Ryou's naked back, along the spine and around to his lower waist. He smirked at the shivers he felt rush through his host. Ryou had gotten the pants undone and tugged down on the waistline. His destination emerged, ready and waiting. Ryou licked his lips and let his hot breath welcome it, noticing how it twitched in approval. He let his fingers travel down Bakura's sides once more before finding that special spot. The one only he knew about, as it was also his. The tiny hollow where the outermost side of the thigh met with the hip bone. For some reason, even unknown to Ryou, this spot was a detonator. Usually guarded by the tight waistline of their jeans, it rarely received any other physical attention apart from the stiffly woven material; most likely the cause of making it extra sensitive. But it was tricky to work, it had to be done just right. Luckily, no one knew it better than him. Gingerly, he traced tiny circles over it, first with his fingers, then bringing the tips of his nails into play; giving the softest of straight-line scratches over the delicate skin. He heard Bakura gasp quietly above him and held his hips in place as they tried to move forward.

Ryou continued to tease this area, thankful that the Spirit's mirrored image of his own body also reflected his weak spots. It was one of the few tactics he had to offer the entity that knew so many ways to drive his senses mad; in good ways as well as bad ways. He followed his instincts to move his touch briefly to the back of the hips, stroking just above Bakura's tailbone before going back to the little hollows again.

It paid off. The Spirit's breath hitched and he began to knead his fingers into Ryou's lower back, then sliding one hand below the pant line to do some teasing of his own.

Ryou closed his eyes and made a small sound of affirmation. Without further delay, he leaned in and ran the tip of his tongue from the base of Bakura's need, slowly all the way up the side to the head, the down the other side before coming back up the tip. The Spirit hissed and brought his free hand up to stroke the side of his host's face. Ryou brought his own hand close, using two fingers to stoke along the top and underside of eager erection while he dipped his tongue into the very tip. Again, he had to hold Bakura's hips at bay as he made little circles inside the slit, occasionally sucking at just the head between his licks and strokes. Bakura groaned in aroused impatience and pulled Ryou's head further down on him. Not left with much choice, Ryou obliged, trying to create more moisture in his mouth to aid his task. He needed to move his tongue quite a bit for this, causing Bakura to hum his satisfaction. Ryou answered with a deep moan that sent vibrations through his past-incarnate, as he brought the hungry length closer to the back of his throat. He didn't go too far though, since Bakura would no longer be denied his urge to thrust into his hot, slick mouth. Ryou was only grateful he wasn't using _too_ much force.

Occasionally turning his head from one side to the other, the pale teen bobbed his head with increasing pace, alternating his use of the back of his tongue and the tip to reach any and every spot he could.

"Good, little one," Bakura purred through his heavy breaths, "Very good." He slid his finger further into the back of Ryou's pants and pressed till he found the tense entrance waiting for him. He ran his finger tauntingly over it, around it, and pressed against it again and again.

Ryou genuinely moaned now, a slightly higher pitch from before, and Bakura knew he had him. He moved his other hand from Ryou's head, down his side, and across his stomach before going straight to the front of the boy's jeans. Without waiting, he cupped and squeezed at the prize within, using the palm of his hand to rub back and forth along it, sending marvelous warmth there. Ryou raised himself slightly to give the Spirit more room as he worked both the front and back of the teen's underside. Soon he had to withdraw his mouth from Bakura's erection in order to breathe, and more pleasured sounds rose from his throat of their own accord.

It was time then. Bakura pressed Ryou down onto the bed and completely removed his own pants. With this out of the way, he settled himself between Ryou's open legs and buried his face against the new bulge that had arrived. Ryou squirmed as Bakura made the space hot with his mouth, breathing into the snug fabric as he nuzzled and nipped it. His teeth grazed the trembling need hidden inside, and Ryou couldn't keep from whimpering.

"Get rid of these," Bakura ordered, tugging at the pant leg. Ryou hastily fumbled with his own button and zipper to get the pants off. The Spirit helped to pull them down the teen's slender legs and tossed them to the side as Ryou then removed his shirt. Both were still, as Bakura looked greedily at the body presented to him. It looked like his, and yet it wasn't. Somehow that made it all the more luscious. He lowered himself onto his host, caressing the younger erection beneath him as he brushed his lips over Ryou's jaw and neck. He was teasing again, keeping his touches fleeting, and making the teen lean up in order to get more. Ryou shivered again as those ancient lips seduced the hollow beneath his throat, and the second hand rode the faint curves of his abdominal muscles.

"Ah… Bakura-" he pleaded, taking the Spirit's head in his hands once more.

"Prove to me what you said before," Bakura whispered, meeting the boy's half-lidded gaze with his own lustful stare.

Ryou resisted the urge to hesitate and forced himself to reply; he'd come this far. "I want you," he whispered back, bringing his own hand down to touch his entrance, "In here."

Bakura grinned down at him, pulling the boy's legs up to get better access.

"So you shall have it."

Without any preparation, and using only the slick coating of Ryou's own handy work, Bakura lined his erection with Ryou's opening and plunged in. Ryou threw his head back with a harsh groan, eyes squeezed shut, and then an outright cry of pain. Bakura thrust in again and Ryou's hands shot up to press back on the Spirit's shoulders, silently begging him to wait. Bakura didn't want to wait, but his host refrained from objecting and even pressed his lips tightly together to muffle his desperate whimpering, so the thief obliged.

After a moment, he made to move again, but Ryou grimaced after only that much. "Ba-kura…" Ryou choked through his extreme discomfort, "Please, not too - rough this time. I beg y-you."

Bakura peered down at him, thoughtfully. He was impatient, but his host did ask nicely. And it was more enjoyable when the boy didn't scream the whole time. He would be more careful then - to start. With less force and a slower speed, he moved in and out. Ryou groaned still, eyes still shut, but didn't ask him to stop again. The longer it went, Bakura's own precum adding to the slick walls of the teen's hole. Soon the groans became more quiet, less pained, and blended with sounds of enjoyment. Then Bakura pulled out.

"Roll over," he commanded.

Ryou did as he was told and soon Bakura was inside him again, moving with more ease and quicker thrusts. Ryou panted loudly, taking as much of the pleasure as he could with the pain, remembering his motivation. No! He mustn't think of that, not now while Bakura might hear his thoughts. He forced them down, deep down; the thoughts of his new friend. His hot, foreign friend. He wanted to keep this new friend, no matter the cost. And if taking Bakura's lust head on was the price to pay then so be it. Namu was worth it. He stopped himself from thinking any further, though he had little choice, for as Bakura's own grunts and huffs became louder, and his movements faster, Ryou found it very difficult to think at all. Next thing he knew, his aching need was accompanied by a warm, helping hand. Then he _couldn't_ think anymore. He let his overwhelming feelings out with each cry and moan and felt his lungs work overtime to give him much needed air as Bakura's hand pumped him mercilessly. Ryou felt his body tighten up as the Spirit continued to pound into him. This kind of attention inside _and_ out - he wouldn't last. Bakura buried his face in Ryou's back and growled as his last harsh thrusts brought him to his climax. The feeling of the hot seed inside him sent Ryou following right after, his own long moan filling the room as he came into the thief's skilled hand. They crouched motionless, panting together, before Ryou regained control of his muscles and let himself down onto the mattress, bringing his partner with him.

Several minutes they just laid there. He felt Bakura move slightly against him, then the thief licked slowly at the teen's back a couple times. It might have been loving if he weren't so twisted. But Ryou didn't care. Not now that he had something to look forward to. He didn't feel completely hopeless anymore. 'He's worth it,' he told himself as he felt the Spirit's breath evening out and drifting into unconsciousness. 'He's worth it.'

…

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this. There will be more lemons to come with different partners. <strong>

**When I first began planning this story, I had thought it would be the first time I wrote a lemon EVER, but my overwhelming need to write a fanfic for an OVA I love beat me to it, so this is simply my fist YGO lemon. Definitely not the last ;) **

**That other story of mine is entitled "Mending Hearts" and while it's for a different anime, I've included flashbacks of the short cannon for anyone who did not see it. I've gotten some lovely reviews on it :) Feel free to check it out. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I won't waste time apologizing for this late update. I'll never be able to say how sorry I am anyway. Fact is, life at 24 is much busier than life at 17. This last year as been filled with so much, I haven't been able to get ANY writing done. I've opened all of my unfinished stories more times than I can count but I've had the worst writer's block for all of it. It's been unbearable. Hopefully that's over. **

**And also, the biggest reason I was stuck on _this_ story, was I realized I made a goof with the Track thing. (Stupid Internet decided to be very vague on the info it gave me) and I realized it's actually a spring time sport, where as I have the story set in late September right now... I've been really struggling with how to fix this... That's been my biggest set back. For the sake of moving on (cause I REALLY want this story to get going, there's so much more to happen) I decided to say 'hell with it' for now. If I absolutely have to, I'll make Track an autumn sport... just because. Sorry about that : Anyway, here's this. **

**Thank you all who've stayed with the story for this long, I really appreciate it! And thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews, it makes me very happy! **

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

…

Ryou groaned as he slowly awoke. He felt heavy, and didn't want to get up at all. With great effort, he opened his eyes and blearily blinked at his clock: 6:34am. He sighed heavily into his pillow and tried to roll over. His body felt stiff and achy in a way that wasn't usual. Ryou tried stretching out, only to find his legs and forearms particularly agitated. He ran a hand over his face and grimaced, he felt dirty. And his throat was very dry.

With an uncomfortable huff, he forced his legs over the edge of the bed and made himself sit up. He didn't understand. His head felt as if he'd been out for hours, but his limbs felt more exhausted than when he'd first drifted off.

Ryou fumbled around in the dark, into the hallway and to the bathroom. He flicked on the light and instantly shut his eyes against the bright glare. He filled the counter glass with water and drank it down, then filled it again. Rubbing at his eyes, he blinked at his reflection. He frowned at the mess his hair had fallen into, all matted and misshapen. His face was a little puffed from sleeping against the pillow, and he had a spot on his chin. Ryou blinked and leaned closer to the mirror. What was that? He touched it, but felt nothing. He cupped some water in his hands and rubbed at his chin, drying with the nearby hand towel - but still the spot remained. Was that a bruise? Ryou raised his fingers to it again. It didn't hurt, nor was it very dark, but it definitely looked like one. When had he gotten that, he wondered. He puzzled over it for a moment but couldn't remember getting hit. Maybe he'd accidentally gotten it when he was with the Ring Spirit yesterday?

"Hmm," Ryou considered it the most likely option, then grew tired of his unappealing reflection and started a shower.

He took his time getting dressed and moving downstairs for coffee. He still couldn't think of why he felt so stiff, as if he'd been running track already. As he set the coffee pot to brew, he noticed how eerily quiet it was in the house. Out of habit he went to turn on the radio, but then stopped… The radio should've been on already. Shouldn't it? He considered the stereo, still a little groggy. He'd turned it on yesterday before he went upstairs, and he had been up there all night… But the radio was off now.

Regardless, the silence was too much, so Ryou turned it back on. The station had switched in later hours and was running through advertisements. Ryou adjusted the volume, then went to turn on some lights.

As soon as the hall light was on though, he stopped again with a double take. There was dirt by the door. He walked closer and peered at the floor. Loose dirt and smeared shoeprints. His own shoeprints.

Ryou frowned and looked at his shoes. They sat in their usual spot, though not in their usual neatness. They weren't evenly lined up and one was tipped over, as if carelessly taken off. Both dirty. Ryou straightened up and looked at the door. It was locked as it should be. Uncertain, he reached out and tested the knob. Yes, it was locked. So… he looked down at the floor again, and his shoes.

'I did go to the cemetery,' he reasoned to himself. 'I must've brought the dirt back in with me… I don't usually leave such a mess but… I must've been distracted… Thinking about Namu. Yes, that's right.' That had to be it. He'd been missing his new friend already after their short visit, so he must've been lost in his thoughts when he took off his shoes. Ryou left it at that and headed for the kitchen again.

He wasn't convinced though. Even when it rained, the cemetery didn't get so dirty that he'd track in that much after walking along the sidewalk. He couldn't think of an alternative though and he didn't care to let his imagination make one up for him. His stomach helped by suddenly growling loudly. He never did get around to eating supper. He was starving.

He made some toast to start and prepared his coffee before filling a bowl with cereal.

…

Walking to school had never felt like such a chore. His legs just didn't want to carry him. And despite his shower and coffee, his eyes still stung with heavy fatigue. Ryou hoped he wasn't coming down with something.

He didn't bother trying to spread happy expressions this morning. He lurched to his desk and slumped into his seat, immediately laying his head on his arms. The usual commotion of mingling students was little more than a hum in the background to the pale teen. He only felt the hardness of the desk beneath him and the lack of any comfortable positions available in his seat. He was starting to wish he'd just stayed home.

A gentle tapping on his hand woke him, and he was startled to find he'd even drifted off. Ryou looked up into the face of his teacher.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry." He looked around but was relieved to see class hadn't started yet. Only a few students had taken their seats and were chatting together.

"Are you alright, Mr. Bakura?" the teacher asked.

"Yes sir, I didn't mean to - fall asleep."

"You look like you're not feeling well."

"I, uh…" Ryou ran his hand over his face again and tried to think. "I didn't sleep well. That's all it is."

"Alright." The teacher went to his own desk and set to work unpacking his briefcase.

Ryou shifted in his chair and tried to stretch himself out as subtly as he could.

The minutes went by before he knew it, and the last of his classmates were taking their seats as the bell rang. Ryou stared vacantly at the floor, trying to get his brain to think through the off-putting fog in his mind. He quickly returned to the present as a folder appeared on his desk. He looked up to see his teacher's back walking toward the head of the room to write on the black board. Ryou considered the folder a moment before opening it. Inside were a couple of worksheets and a syllabus with reading assignments. On the top page was a sticky note that read, "Due first thing tomorrow. ½ credit."

Ryou stared at it, rereading it again…and again. Half credit? … Why only half? He looked at his neighbor's desk. Then at _his_ neighbor's desk. No folders. Ryou turned slightly and looked around. No one else had folders on their desks. He looked back at the one in front of him, puzzled. He considered asking his teacher about it, but decided to wait for a more appropriate time. He'd rather not draw attention to himself today. He thought he'd spied Namu in his seat and looked back. Sure enough, the Egyptian sat, supporting his weight on his forearms, fingers interlaced. Though facing forward, his eyes peered sidelong to the front corner of the room. Then he looked forward toward the teacher, flexing his fingers and looking almost bored… Then back to the corner again. Ryou quirked his brow and followed the blonde's gaze. Interestingly, Yugi sat sideways in his seat, his back to Ryou, and was talking in hushed tones to his friends. More interesting was Duke's calm but serious expression. Tea was leaning toward Yugi, listening intently and looking a bit bothered. Ryou looked back and saw Joey leaning forward trying to hear, also looking unusually serious. Behind him, Tristan leaned a bit to the side, most likely unable to hear, but evidently gathering from Yugi's expressions. The teacher called attention to class and everyone turned to face forward. Ryou spotted Yugi's face from the side and was surprised at how weary he looked. Yugi was regularly well-prepared every morning, but now he looked unsettled and distracted. What's more, he hunched himself up a bit, putting his elbows forward and leaning over his desk. He glanced around the other side of himself, scanning the students around him. His eyes landed on Ryou's and paused. Too out of it to concern himself with manners, Ryou stared back curiously, obviously puzzled. The teacher began to speak and Yugi looked forward again. But Ryou's eyes glazed over a bit and he stared at whatever might be in font of him, not really seeing anything. He felt drained, but he couldn't understand why. He shivered, suddenly cold, and hunched himself up in his chair. Hopefully we wasn't sick, that'd be a nuisance.

The teacher talked and talked, but not a single thing he said registered in the British boy's mind. He seemed to keep losing track of the fact he was even in school, sitting at his desk, staring ahead at nothing, at something, at nothing. That bloody folder was confusing him. He shivered again. Someone was calling him.

"Huh?" he mumbled, looking up. The teacher was looking at him, and so was everyone else. Oh no.

"Do you need to go to the nurse, Mr. Bakura?"

"Wha- I… no. I'm alright, I'm-" he was about to say he'd been listening but he didn't want to be asked to prove it. Why did everyone have to look at him, "-fine."

He shivered again. No, it wasn't a shiver. It was more like … some kind of spasm. His felt uncomfortable and the muscles in his arms and back clenched of their own accord. He tried to make it stop, to sit still. He noticed the teacher still wasn't speaking and Ryou looked up, trying to give him a look to continue. But the teacher simply looked concerned.

"You don't look well at all."

Ryou made a small noise of discomfort. Confound it! Why didn't they just leave him alone? The back of his head felt tingly. He could feel all of them watching. Prying. Unspoken questions directed at him. Inquiring. Wanting to _know._

Know _what?_

He tensed again. For a second he almost felt… angry. Was he actually convulsing? Why on earth-

The tingling was back. He gave his head a shake and took a breath. He'd started rocking slightly in his seat and made himself stop. This wasn't good. Not at all. He looked around, all eyes were on him. His heart beat anxiously against his chest. He looked back at Namu, the Egyptian was frowning slightly at him. Almost peering.

'Don't look at me like that!' Ryou urged in his mind. 'Not you, Namu! Not you!'

He felt his face twitch and thought he might actually be glaring. He looked back at his teacher, who was starting to look alarmed now.

"Just -" Ryou pursed his lips together. He wanted to tell the teacher to get on with his bloody lecture already and quit staring at him, but he was positive something aggressive was going to come out if he tried to speak. What was going _on_ with him?

The teacher walked toward the phone by the black board. "I'm going to have the office call your father to come pick you up."

"_No! _No, god, no," Ryou quickly gathered his things and started to get up. "I'm going."

Yugi raised his hand, "I'll take him, Sir. I'm not feeling well either."

Ryou closed his eyes with disapproval. He really didn't need company right now.

"I'll go too, just in case." Tristan got to his feet. The teacher was about to protest but, after another glance at Ryou, nodded. He still didn't seem to like the idea. But despite occasional roughhousing, it was well known that Tristan was quite responsible and trustworthy in serious situations.

Ryou hurried out the door and ran to the window across the hall, dropping his bag and bracing himself against the window frame.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered urgently to the spirit inside him. He got no response. He took several deep breaths, flinching as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," Yugi said. "Let's get you to the nurse."

"No," Ryou said wearily. "Please, just… give me a moment."

Yugi removed his hand.

"Do you feel nauseous?" Tristan asked.

Ryou shook his head. "I'm just… worn out, I guess."

"You seem a bit more than worn out," Yugi said carefully.

Ryou frowned slightly, "What about _you_, Yugi?"

The shorter teen looked down a little sheepishly, "I… didn't sleep last night."

Ryou took another deep breath, let it out, then straightened up. "I slept. But somehow I feel stiff and exhausted. I don't understand it. I felt fine yesterday."

Tristan tilted his head to the side. "Where-" he started, exchanging a look with Yugi.

"Did you go somewhere?" Yugi asked.

Ryou turned to face them with a questioning look.

"Yesterday," Yugi added.

"The arcade."

They blinked at him.

"During school?" Tristan asked.

"No!"

"When?" Yugi asked.

"I…" Ryou scanned both their faces. They were serious. "I was… _what_?"

"When were you at the arcade?"

"Yesterday!" Ryou insisted. "With you lot, remember?"

They stared at him blankly. He stared back, perplexed.

"We _all_ went," Ryou said. "It was Namu's first time. Joey lost at the DDR game!"

The others exchanged an unsettled look.

"Bakura," Tristan said carefully. "That was Wednesday."

"Yeah."

"It's Friday."

…

The silence was thick. The halls might have echoed with it if it such a thing were possible.

Ryou stared hard a Tristan, "It's Thursday."

Yugi shook his head.

"It's Friday," he said the same time as Tristan. Yugi added, "We were at the arcade on Wednesday."

Ryou gaped at them. They _couldn't_ be serious. But he scanned both their faces… they were.

Ryou was stuck. His brain didn't seem to want to reason. His mouth stammered mutely, his eyes dropping to the fallen folder on the floor.

"But how… whe- what happened _yesterday?_"

Yugi shrugged. "We don't know, you weren't here."

Ryou staggered, staring wide-eyed. "_What?_" he gasped.

"You weren't in class yesterday, Bakura!"

The blood ran from Ryou's face and his legs collapsed underneath him.

"Tristan!" Yugi yelled, catching Ryou by the arm before he fell. Tristan hurried and caught hold of his other arm. Ryou's head sank as his eyes closed.

"Let's go," Tristan said. "Help him onto my back. I'll carry him." He steadied Ryou with one arm and knelt down so Yugi could maneuver the white-haired teen onto the his back. Ryou groaned as Tristan got to his feet and adjusted his hold under the pale one's legs.

"Don't worry," Tristan said, glancing back at Yugi who gathered up Bakura's things. "We'll get you to the nurse."

...

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><p><strong>... Not really thrilled with the flow of this chapter, but it seems to be the best I can do for now. Hope to have more up very soon. <strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for reviewing, following, favoriting, etc. :D **

* * *

><p>Ch 8<p>

…

"Maybe you should just let it be for now, Yugi," Tea said. "I mean, there's not a whole lot we can do about it until we know more."

"I don't even know who to ask about it," Yugi said. "Just talking about it seems… I don't know."

It was the last few minutes before the final bell rang, and nearly everyone was talking amongst themselves.

"Well don't worry about it right now, huh? Look, it's nice outside. We can all go to the plaza. Get your mind off things."

"If you're freaked out, Yug'," Joey offered, "come stay at my place tonight."

"There you go," Tristan agreed. "We could all stay over at Joey's. Then if anything happens, we'll all be there."

"'Ey, who invited you?" Joey said.

"I guess that sounds good," Yugi said thoughtfully. "But what about Grandpa? I don't know if he should be left alone."

They thought about it some more. "How about you come hang with us," Tristan offered. "Give your grandpa a call and see how you feel then. Give your brain a chance to chill out first."

"Worse case scenario," Tea added, "You could have the guys over at your place, Yugi."

"Maybe… It's smaller, but-"

"Yeah, but it'll keep Tristan outta' my sister's room."

The bell rang as the taller boy shot him a look.

Yugi scratched his head and stood up, glancing at the empty seat a few rows over. Bakura hadn't come back from the nurses office all day.

"What do you guys want to do at the plaza?" Tea asked as they all shuffled out of the room.

"Not a whole heck of a lot of choose from," Tristan commented.

"I say we eat!" Joey piped up.

The rest was blurred as Yugi's attention faded into a combination of shoes, voices, and locker door activity quickly flooding the halls. He didn't care much what they did, he doubted anything would manage to distract him from his thoughts.

As they turned the corner by the offices, he spotted a random patch of white among the bustle of students. Immediately he straightened up and hurried toward it without a word; Tristan being the only one to notice, as Tea and Joey were deep into a debate whether a movie outranked a second lunch.

Yugi struggled to see over people but, being one of the shortest in his school, accomplished little in the effort. But after a weave and a sidestep, and squeezing through many chatterboxes discourteous enough to hog the hall, he confirmed his target.

"Hey Bakura!" Yugi hollered. "Bakura, wait a sec!"

A white-haired teen paused in step before glancing over his shoulder.

"Hey," Yugi said, after finally reaching the other. "How are you feeling?"

At first, the British boy just looked at him, as though considering him. Then with a small smile he said softly, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked. "What did the nurse say?"

Bakura lightly scratched at his cheek before answering, "Simple case of exhaustion. Nothing to worry about."

Yugi quirked an eyebrow. The taller boy seemed amazingly calm about it. "You were out of class all day. I thought you'd been sent home."

Bakura sidestepped for a passing student but said nothing.

"So…" Yugi said, "Did you have any luck remembering yesterday?"

Now Bakura looked off to the side, mouth twisted as if quizzical.

Tristan came up behind Yugi then. "Hey, are you feeling better, Bakura?"

The other gave a small smile and nodded. "I've had a long rest, which seems to be all I needed." He spoke so softly, they could barely hear him over the chatter surrounding them.

Yugi wasn't sure what to think. Bakura was usually a quiet person, sure, but … he was also generally more unsure of himself when he spoke. Here he just seemed… Yugi didn't know.

"Did you get your homework folder?" Tristan asked.

Bakura tapped his bag.

"Alright good. Try not to work yourself too hard, huh?"

"Yeah," Yugi added. "Do you want help catching up on your assignments?"

Bakura's eyes widened a little.

"Ey, what's da hold up? You guys comin'?" Joey called from across the hall.

Yugi looked back, then again to Bakura. "I mean, if you need it…" he offered.

Bakura shook his head. "Thanks, but I've got it. See you later, guys. Have a good evening." He turned and continued down the hall.

Yugi watched him go, then looked up at Tristan. The brunette gave him a look that clearly said what he was thinking, but knew better than to say out loud: _That kid's definitely weird_.

…

Marik was surprised when he spotted the lone figure striding away from the school and once again heading home. Without a thought to his waiting ride, he broke into a jog to quickly close the gap.

"Ryou! Wait up!"

The white-haired boy stopped but didn't turn right away.

"What's going on, are you alright?" The Egyptian asked.

The paler teen looked back over his shoulder, "I'm a little surprised at how many people seem concerned about me."

"What do you mean?"

Bakura turned to face him, looking intrigued. "You're not the first person to ask if I'm well since the last bell rang."

Marik stared dumbly at him. "Well… you _did_ sort of…" he shrugged politely, " - in class this morning."

He said nothing at first, but looked the blonde over before commenting quietly, "I'll have to work on that."

Marik considered him… something seemed off.

"So, what happened? I mean, are you-"

"May I ask you a question?" Bakura suddenly asked.

Marik blinked at him. "Alright."

…

"Wake up."

Ryou grumbled quietly. He was vaguely aware or heat and steam around him. His vision was a mass of blurs slowly coming into focus. When had he opened his eyes?

There _was_ steam around him. And the sound of running water.

"You've rested long enough," the Spirit said simply.

"Rested?" Ryou murmured. He looked down to see water up to his stomach, and his knees and torso bare of clothes. He was sitting in the middle of a generously sized bathtub. But not any like the ones in his house. This one was made of marble the color of many brown stones. At the far end, a strong flow of water poured into it from a large basin, that seemed to be attached in a way Ryou could not see. Everywhere around the tub were shadows. 'A soul room?' he wondered. 'A soul _wash_ room?' He noticed a hand on his shoulder, holding him up, as the familiar spitting image of himself moved around him to be seen clearly. The Spirit was also waist deep in the tub, but wearing some kind of sleeveless robe slack and sodden against his fit, ivory form. His chest was exposed, so the garment seemed useless. But before Ryou could ask, a gentle stream of water fell over his head, soaking his head and shoulders.

He blew out a small breath and wiped the hot water from his eyes. The Spirit set down the large vase-like picture he'd been holding, letting it fill with water, and took a small glass bottle from the side of the tub.

"Well, I hope you've satiated your need for attention."

"What?" Ryou looked up at his past incarnate, who was emptying an oil-like substance into his hands. The Spirit looked less than impressed as he rubbed his hands together before reaching out to knead them through the younger boy's soaked hair. Ryou tried to duck away but the Spirit slapped at his hands and continued to work with the weak lather.

"What do you mean?" Ryou asked.

"You've gotten your entire classroom's attention with that little fit of yours. Everyone's buzzing about what caused it."

Ryou shut his eyes against the unpleasant memory of that morning. "What else could I do? I was _trying_ to act natural-"

"Hmph."

"I have no idea what caused any of that. I felt awful this morning."

"But you feel fine now," The Spirit stated, not really asking. He poured more oil into his hands and took one of Ryou's arms.

"Yeah…" Ryou watched the Spirit's hand glide over his skin, working his way up Ryou's arm and leaving a rather nice-smelling layer of shine as he went. "What happened afterward? Where am I now?"

"You're at home," Bakura answered.

Ryou gaped, "How did I-?"

"I took care of it." Bakura lathered his hands again and moved around to wash Ryou's back. The young man was perplexed. His mouth hung open as he shook his head.

"I- I don't understand what's going on."

He felt the hands on his back slow for a moment before continuing over his shoulders.

"Please," Ryou turned and took hold of Bakura's arm. "Can't you tell me what's happening? I don't like this at all. I have an unexplained tantrum at school in front of everyone, and an entire day missing from my memory! I'm -" His chin quivered, his voice softening to a whimper. "I don't know what to do. I'm frightened."

Bakura frowned a little, gave a resigned sigh and took up the vase again. "Very well." He poured water over his host's body, and then again.

Ryou wiped as his face again then looked to his companion expectantly. Bakura settled himself down in the water and stared, unconcerned at his far-future self.

"You got home because I brought you home. Those who saw you leave really saw me."

Ryou gaped, "What-"

"Hush!"

Ryou closed his mouth.

"The Millennium Ring contains my spirit, as does your body whenever you wear it. You're aware of this." Bakura toyed boredly with the water and continued, "You're also aware I can control whenever you succumb to your deepest consciousness, which is provided by the Ring. I can manifest wherever we go and all of the details within with little effort." He lifted a handful of water and poured it back as if to prove it. "What you may _not_ be aware of, is just how _much_ power I have over you." He looked back at his host as if waiting for a reply.

Ryou swallowed. "Um, I know you can read my mind, and communicate with me through my thoughts…I don't know - can you _see_ anything when we're like that?"

"I can indeed," the Spirit purred in a way that made Ryou shiver, despite the steam. "Everything you are, and everything you do passes through your mind restlessly. Everything you think or feel. Everything you see…" Bakura waved his hand across the surface of the water, and an image appeared between them. Ryou gasped and looked closer. It was an image of himself sitting in his bath at home, eyes barely open as if in some dream-like trance, hand mimicking Bakura's previous movement.

"…I can see too," the Spirit finished quietly.

Ryou's breath shuddered with wonder. He stared transfixed, until the image faded away and only the bathwater remained.

"Admittedly," Bakura said, "It is an inconceivable burden to take in all at once. I prefer to merely… _skim_, if you will." He smiled teasingly. "Your life in quiet enough I hardly miss anything."

Ryou shifted uncomfortably.

"But that's just the half of it. Your classmates - saw you walking home as usual. Or what they _presumed to_ be you. When in fact, you were in the deepest of sleep from morning until now."

Ryou said nothing. They looked at each other quietly, the sound of the bath running around them.

"So…" Ryou said finally, "You can move my body as well? You can take control of it?"

No answer, just a confirming smirk.

"My god," Ryou whispered to himself.

Bakura scoffed. "Don't act so exploited, you're hardly a victim." He rose to a standing position once more. "If anything, you should be praising me."

"For _what?"_ Ryou asked.

Bakura frowned. "For bringing you home safely? For getting your classmates of your back? For acting like you _normally_ would to try and erase the mess you made of yourself!"

Ryou shrunk, stung. He looked woefully at the water, before covering his face and shaking his head in despair.

"Not to mention protecting you from outside threats," The Spirit hissed.

Silence again. Silence and stillness.

"What threats?" Ryou's depressed voice was muffled behind his hands.

Bakura raised his head, looking down his nose at Ryou. "We narrowly avoided an infiltration today."

Ryou looked up at him, not understanding.

"Your mind," Bakura explained. "while fatigued and confused, became exceptionally vulnerable this morning. Were it not for me, we'd have been thoroughly probed."

"By what?"

"By _whom_."

"By- whom?"

Bakura's eyes glazed a little with intensity.

Ryou's eyes widened. "Who?" he whispered.

"That," Bakura said quietly. "I don't know."

Ryou's face fell.

"In your weakened state, it was all I could do to keep the threat out. I didn't have time to learn about it and guard against it all at once, with your rising anxiety."

Ryou hugged his knees. "I'm sorry." He was use to feeling helpless, but now he felt defenseless. Vulnerable. "Thank you."

"Maybe now that you understand my abilities better, you'll take care not to let your mind run away with you," Bakura remarked, a bit condescendingly.

Ryou nodded pathetically. "So what do we do?"

"_We_ do nothing. Leave the questions to me from now on. You ought to be more concerned with your schoolmates."

Ryou sighed. "They all probably think I've gone off my nut. The teacher looked at me so… and Yugi…Tristan…"

"Namu." Bakura said what Ryou was trying not to. The boy flinched, hiding his face against his knees.

Bakura smirked again. "I really am too good to you."

Ryou hugged himself tighter.

"You'll soon have your chance to redeem yourself with your little friend."

The British boy looked up at his possessor. He didn't like the wicked grin he found on the ancient being's face.

"What did you-?"

"I invited him to come help you with your assignments."

Ryou's face blanched. "You _what_?" he said, horrified.

_Ding-dong_

The sound of the doorbell hit his ears just before Bakura pushed him backward, under the water.

Ryou's cry was garbled as he struggled beneath the surface. He quickly came up, gasping and sputtering, to find himself alone in his own bathtub. He wiped his face frantically, looking around.

_Ding-dong_

Ryou gasped loudly and launched himself out of the tub, sloshing water all over the floor. He grabbed his robe and hurried out into the hall, nearly slipping on the stairs. He caught himself against the banister which quickly became slick from his wet hands.

_Ding-dong. Ding-dong. _

"Coming! I'm coming!" Ryou called. He walked shakily across the wood floor, grabbing the nearest piece of fabric off the couch and haphazardly drying his dripping hair with it. It did little more than make it a rough mess. Ryou quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"I'm so sorry! I -" He stopped and gawked at a startled mailman.

"Erm," the man blink at him. "Is everything alright in there?"

Ryou felt his face get hot. He heaved a sigh. "Yes, I um - I was trying to-"

The mailman cocked his head.

"I didn't want to make you wait, I was - upstairs. Uh…" Ryou was relieved and humiliated altogether.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," the man offered sincerely. He handed a small package to Ryou who, still dripping wet, offered the hand holding the towel.

"Thank you."

The mailman tipped his hat, "Have a nice day." Then turned to leave.

Ryou shut the door and let his head sink. He went to dry his other hand on the - towel? "Ugh, a blanket," he grumbled, tossing it back over the couch. He looked with annoyance at all the water on the floor. The sound on cruel chuckling echoed in his head.

"How could you do that?" Ryou asked.

"Foolish boy," Bakura growled. "Don't blame you rash actions on me. I hardly got the words out before you hurried off of you own accord."

Ryou leaned back against the door. "Did you _really_ arrange to meet with Namu?"

"Are you calling me a liar, little one?"

"No," Ryou said, exasperated. "I just-"

"I asked him to meet you at the public library half an hour from now."

Ryou took in a long breath, then let it out. "Alright." Just enough time to clean up the mess he made and get himself ready… if he hurried.

Meanwhile, Bakura brooded in his own soul room. Not so much as a 'thank you' for cleaning the boy up before his meeting? His host owed him a great deal for all the Spirit had done for him that day. And he _would_ be paying in full.

...


End file.
